South African singer Tyla Seethal emerged as one of the standout winners at the 52nd American Music Awards, securing two trophies at the ceremony held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The 24-year-old artist took home Best Afrobeats Artist, beating Nigerian stars Burna Boy, Wizkid, and Rema, as well as Ghanaian-American singer MOLIY in the fan-voted category.
She also claimed Social Song of the Year for her 2025 hit “CHANEL,” making her the only African artist to win on the night.
The 52nd American Music Awards ceremony took place on Monday and was hosted by Queen Latifah.
Tyla entered the evening as the most-nominated African artist in AMAs history with four nods, including Best Female R&B Artist and Best Music Video for “CHANEL.”
Although she was not present to accept the awards in person, the double victory marks a significant milestone in her international breakthrough.
Released in October 2025, “CHANEL” has achieved massive commercial success, surpassing 320 million streams on Spotify and topping charts in multiple territories.
It ranks among her biggest tracks to date, following her 2023 global breakout single “Water,” which cracked the top 10 in South Africa, the UK, and the US.
Tyla’s continued success in the Afrobeats category has also intensified online discussions about the genre-blending nature of her music, which fuses amapiano, pop, R&B, and Afrobeats elements.
Other notable winners BTS for Artist of the Year, Sabrina Carpenter for Album of the Year forMan’s Best Friend, and HUNTR/X’s Golden featuring EJAE, Audrey Nuna & Rei Ami won Song of the Year.
Full list of major winners
Artist of the Year: BTS
New Artist of the Year: KATSEYE
Album of the Year: Sabrina Carpenter – Man’s Best Friend
Song of the Year: HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami – “Golden”
Collaboration of the Year: PinkPantheress, Zara Larsson – “Stateside”
Social Song of the Year: Tyla – “CHANEL”
Best Music Video: KATSEYE – “Gnarly”
Best Soundtrack: KPop Demon Hunters
Tour of the Year: Shakira – Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour
Breakout Tour (New): Benson Boone – American Heart World Tour
Breakthrough Album (New): Zara Larsson – Midnight Sun
Song of the Summer (New): BTS – “SWIM”
Selected category winners
Pop
Best Male Pop Artist: Justin Bieber
Best Female Pop Artist: Sabrina Carpenter
Breakthrough Pop Artist: KATSEYE
Best Pop Album: Sabrina Carpenter – Man’s Best Friend
Best Pop Song: HUNTR/X – “Golden”
Afrobeats
Best Afrobeats Artist: Tyla
Hip-Hop
Best Male Hip-Hop Artist: Kendrick Lamar
Best Female Hip-Hop Artist: Cardi B
Best Hip-Hop Song: Cardi B – “ErrTime”
Best Hip-Hop Album: Cardi B – AM I THE DRAMA?
R&B
Best Male R&B Artist: Bruno Mars
Best Female R&B Artist: SZA
Breakthrough R&B Artist: Leon Thomas
Best R&B Song: Bruno Mars – “I Just Might”
Best R&B Album: Bruno Mars – The Romantic
Country
Best Male Country Artist: Morgan Wallen
Best Female Country Artist: Ella Langley
Best Country Album: Megan Moroney – Cloud 9
Latin
Best Male Latin Artist: Bad Bunny
Best Female Latin Artist: Shakira
Best Latin Album: KAROL G – Tropicoqueta
Rock/Alternative
Best Rock/Alternative Artist: Twenty One Pilots
Breakthrough Rock/Alternative Artist: sombr
Best Rock/Alternative Album: sombr – I Barely Know Her
Other categories
Best Dance/Electronic Artist: David Guetta
Best K-Pop Female Artist: TWICE
Best K-Pop Male Artist: BTS
Best Americana/Folk Artist: Noah Kahan
