KATSEYE Wins All Three Nominations, Shouts Out BTS At First AMAs

KATSEYE’s Three AMA Wins: What They Won And Who They Beat

After making their American Music Awards red carpet debut, KATSEYE took home all three awards they were nominated for: New Artist of the Year, Breakthrough Pop Artist, and Best Music Video for “Gnarly”.

A video of them reacting to the news of their wins shows all of them screaming Daniela sinking to the floor.

The New Artist of the Year win came after beating out a massively competitive field this one, one that included Alex Warren, Ella Langley, Leon Thomas, Olivia Dean, and Sombr.

In their acceptance speech, each member thanked the Eyekons, their families, and HYBE chairman Bang Si-hyuk, while offering a short thank you in their respective second languages. Sophia Laforteza gave a particular shoutout to labelmate BTS “for inspiring us to represent our culture on a global scale”.

KATSEYE’s AMA Performance Of ‘Pinky Up’

The AMAs mark the first awards show appearance from KATSEYE since the 2026 Grammy Awards, when they performed “Gnarly” as part of the Best New Artist nominee medley. That was only a few months ago, but to say a lot has changed since then would be somethin of an understatment.

Monday’s performance of “Pinky Up” was their first televised appearance as a five-member act. The elaborate staging kept with the song’s energy, with the group bursting out of a giant pink teddy bear outfitted with speakers for paws, interrupting a tea party scene populated by extras with pinkies raised, before launching into the track amid a cascade of colour and floating stuffed animals.

KATSEYE And A Still-Absent Manon Bannerman

Manon Bannerman has been on hiatus from KATSEYE since February, when HYBE and Geffen Records announced she was stepping back to focus on her health and wellbeing. She was not present at the AMAs.

The AMAs sweep is the third consecutive major public milestone the group has reached as five members, after the release of “Pinky Up” and their Coachella debut in April.

HYBE and Geffen’s official position remains that Manon is a member on temporary hiatus, but no timeline for her return has been given. As previously covered here, her appearance Germany’s Next Top Model was aired during her absence.

“Coachella has been our number one dream since we became a group,” Lara Raj said at the festival. “I’m so happy you guys get to witness that.” Three AMAs in a single night, three months later, is the next significant marker on a trajectory that is clearly moving forward.

What Comes Next For KATSEYE After Their AMA Sweep

In August, KATSEYE will release their EP Wild, which will feature five tracks. Shortly after, the group will kick off the WILDWORLD Tour, spanning 28 dates across the UK, Europe, and North America through November. BTS also won Artist of the Year at the same ceremony, which is the second time they have claimed the fan-voted award and the first since returning from military service. They previously won it in 2021.