Global girl group KATSEYE enjoyed a breakthrough night at the 2026 American Music Awards, winning all three categories they were nominated in during the ceremony held in Las Vegas.
Making their American Music Awards debut, the group took home New Artist of the Year, Breakthrough Pop Artist and Best Music Video for “Gnarly”, cementing their growing influence on the global pop stage.
KATSEYE beat nominees including Alex Warren, Ella Langley, Leon Thomas, Olivia Dean and sombr to secure the New Artist of the Year title. A backstage video capturing the members’ reaction to the win quickly spread online, showing the group screaming with excitement as member Daniela Avanzini collapsed to the floor in disbelief.
The ceremony also marked the group’s first awards appearance as a five-member act, with founding member Manon Bannerman remaining absent.
During their acceptance speech, member Yoonchae Jeong, the group’s only Korean member, said she was grateful to share the moment with her fellow members. The group also thanked fellow HYBE artists BTS, who were present at the ceremony.
KATSEYE said BTS had inspired them to share their culture globally, acknowledging the group’s influence on their own journey as international artists.
The HYBE and Geffen Records group was formed through The Debut: Dream Academy, a global audition project that attracted around 120,000 applicants worldwide.
Alongside their wins, KATSEYE also delivered their US television performance debut with “Pinky Up”, performing on a whimsical tea party-themed stage featuring members Sophia Laforteza, Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, Megan Skiendiel and Yoonchae Jeong.
The group later shared their excitement on X, writing: “Tonight was our first time on the AMAs stage, and not only did we get to perform, we are now American Music Award winners, all because of you EYEKONS. Thank you a million times over, we love you!”
