BTS Wins Three 2026 MTV VMAs as Lisa Makes Best Pop History

Three wins for BTS, a solo first for Lisa

BTS won all three categories in which it was nominated at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, taking Song of the Year and Best K-pop for "Swim" and extending its Best Group record to five victories. BLACKPINK member Lisa won Best Pop for "Dream," becoming the first Asian solo artist, and the first K-pop solo artist, to receive that award.

The ceremony, hosted by Snoop Dogg, took place on Sept. 27 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. It was Sept. 28 in South Korea. BTS did not attend because of scheduling conflicts, while Lisa accepted her trophy onstage and performed her new single, "SaWaDiKa," on television for the first time.

The results established two distinct milestones. BTS earned its first Song of the Year victory, becoming the first K-pop group to win the category. Lisa moved beyond the Best K-pop category, where she had already collected three solo trophies, to win against a Best Pop field that included Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter.

Both wins also connect to earlier achievements. Rose won Song of the Year in 2025 for "APT.," her collaboration with Bruno Mars, making this the second consecutive year that the award went to a recording by a K-pop artist. BTS had previously won Best Pop in 2020 for "On," so Lisa's milestone is specifically a first for a solo performer, rather than the first Asian or K-pop act of any kind.

Swim turns a new beginning into an award sweep

"Swim" is the lead single from "Arirang," BTS's fifth studio album, released in March after a nearly four year hiatus connected to military service. Its Song of the Year victory placed it ahead of six other nominees, spanning solo recordings, collaborations and a song from an animated film.

The field included Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas," Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter's "Bring Your Love," Olivia Dean's "Man I Need," PinkPantheress's "Stateside + Zara Larsson" and Raye's "Where Is My Husband!" Also nominated was "Golden," performed by EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI as HUNTR/X for Netflix's "KPop Demon Hunters."

In a statement released through its agency, BigHit Music, BTS described "Arirang" as "a new beginning" and thanked its fans, known as ARMY. The seven members connected the award to the response to their music:

We believe we were able to receive the major honor of Song of the Year for 'Swim' thanks to everyone who has loved our music. The seven of us will continue to bring you great music and performances.

The group's three wins recognized different parts of its return: the song itself, its entry in the dedicated K-pop category and BTS as a group. Winning three awards from three nominations gave BTS a complete sweep, although it was not the ceremony's largest trophy haul.

How the new trophies change BTS's record

BTS's fifth Best Group win followed four consecutive victories from 2019 through 2022. The latest result extended the group's own record in the category. Its fourth Best K-pop trophy followed three consecutive wins from 2019 through 2021.

Those figures distinguish a new achievement from the continuation of an established record. Song of the Year was a first for BTS, while Best Group and Best K-pop added to categories in which the band already had repeated success. The group increased its Best Group total from four to five and its Best K-pop total from three to four.

The Best Group field also included BLACKPINK, Cortis, Flo, Fuerza Regida, Geese, Katseye and Twenty One Pilots. In Best K-pop, "Swim" competed against BLACKPINK's "Jump," Cortis's "RedRed," Katseye's "Pinky Up," Le Sserafim's "Spaghetti" featuring BTS member j-hope, and Lisa's "Dream."

Lisa wins beyond the K-pop category

Lisa's Best Pop victory came for a track from "Alter Ego," her debut studio album, released in February 2025. "Dream" won against Grande's "Hate That I Made You Love Me," Charli xcx's "SS26," Rodrigo's "Drop Dead," Carpenter's "House Tour," Tate McRae's "Nobody's Girl" and Swift's "The Fate of Ophelia."

Lisa, a BLACKPINK member accepting the award as a solo artist, thanked MTV, her collaborators and her fans, known as Lilies. She became emotional while speaking onstage:

Thank you, MTV, for this amazing award.

She then linked the achievement to her ambitions and the support of her audience:

All those late-night dreams brought me here today, so thank you for the inspiration, especially to my Lilies — I wouldn't be here without you guys.

The award was her fourth VMA as a solo performer. Her previous three were all for Best K-pop: "Lalisa" in 2022, "Rockstar" in 2024 and "Born Again," a collaboration with Raye and Doja Cat, in 2025. Best Pop therefore added a new category to her solo record rather than another victory in the same one.

The film and craft behind Dream

Japanese actor Kentaro Sakaguchi appears alongside Lisa in the visual accompaniment to "Dream." Although award listings describe the entry as featuring Sakaguchi, his role in the reporting is as an actor in the film, not as a guest vocalist.

The short film was directed by Ojun Kwon and premiered on Aug. 13, 2025, several months after the release of "Alter Ego." The song also reached No. 16 on Japan Heatseekers Songs and No. 20 on Japan Hot Shot Songs. Those are positions on separate charts, not a single measure of its performance.

"Dream" received nominations for Best Cinematography and Best Editing as well as Best Pop and Best K-pop. The professional category listings credit Eumko for cinematography and O-jun Kwon for editing. These awards recognize visual and production work, with the professional categories voted on by industry professionals.

Lisa did not win those additional categories. Best Cinematography went to Madonna's "Confessions II: The Film," and Best Editing went to Sabrina Carpenter's "House Tour." The nominations nevertheless show that "Dream" was considered for both its pop appeal and the work behind its screen presentation.

From Alter Ego to the VMA stage

Lisa's appearance joined an award for an earlier release with the television debut of a newer song. "SaWaDiKa" was released on Sept. 4, and its VMA performance on Sept. 27 was its first live television performance. Lisa also released the EP "Press Play" in 2026.

The sequence matters because the winning work and the performed song were different. Best Pop recognized "Dream," from her 2025 debut album, while the broadcast gave her a stage for her latest single. The main dates surrounding the two artists' awards were:

• February 2025: Lisa released her debut studio album, "Alter Ego," which included "Dream."
• Aug. 13, 2025: The "Dream" short film starring Lisa and Kentaro Sakaguchi premiered.
• March 2026: BTS released its fifth studio album, "Arirang," led by "Swim."
• Sept. 4, 2026: Lisa released "SaWaDiKa."
• Sept. 27, 2026: BTS won three VMAs, Lisa won Best Pop, and Lisa performed "SaWaDiKa" at the Los Angeles ceremony.

A wider nomination field, with fewer wins

The ceremony included several other acts from the broader K-pop industry, although their nominations did not translate into trophies. Cortis competed for Best New Artist, Best K-pop and Best Group. Sienna Spiro won Best New Artist, while BTS won the other two categories.

Katseye was nominated for Best Group, Best K-pop, Best Choreography for "Pinky Up" and Song of Summer for "Hootie Frutti." Madonna won Best Choreography, and Ariana Grande's "Hate That I Made You Love Me" won Song of Summer.

BLACKPINK's Jennie appeared in the Song of Summer field with Tame Impala for "Dracula." Fellow member Jisoo and Zayn were nominated for Best Visual Effects for "Eyes Closed," losing to Grande's "Hate That I Made You Love Me." BLACKPINK and Le Sserafim were also among the Best K-pop nominees.

The distinction between nominations and victories keeps the scale of the result in perspective. BTS and Lisa secured the headline awards, while other acts appeared across group, newcomer, seasonal song and visual production categories without winning.

Madonna and Swift lead other major results

Madonna was the night's biggest winner, collecting seven trophies from 11 nominations. Her awards included Artist of the Year, Best Collaboration for "Bring Your Love" with Sabrina Carpenter, Best Album for "Confessions II," and Best Dance, Best Long Form Video, Best Cinematography and Best Choreography for "Confessions II: The Film."

Taylor Swift won Video of the Year for "The Fate of Ophelia" and Best Direction for "Opalite." She was reported to have collected three competitive awards from nine nominations and also received the inaugural MTV VMA Artist Director Honors. During the ceremony, she premiered the video for "Patient Zero," starring Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell. Nirvana received the Video Vanguard Award.

These results also show why the BTS and Lisa victories should not be treated as a sweep of the ceremony's leading categories. Song of the Year, Video of the Year and Artist of the Year went to different acts. BTS and Lisa made specific category history within a night that also rewarded established pop stars across music and visual production.

No additional appearance dates or release deadlines for BTS or Lisa were announced in the acceptance remarks described after the ceremony. BTS's statement promised more music and performances without giving a timetable.

Key Points

• BTS won Song of the Year and Best K-pop for "Swim," plus a record fifth Best Group award.
• Song of the Year was a first for BTS and followed Rose and Bruno Mars's 2025 win for "APT."
• Lisa became the first Asian solo artist to win Best Pop, receiving the award for "Dream."
• The victory brought Lisa's solo VMA total to four, following three Best K-pop wins.
• Lisa gave the first live television performance of "SaWaDiKa"; BTS did not attend because of scheduling conflicts.
• Madonna led the ceremony with seven awards, while Taylor Swift won Video of the Year.