Taylor Swift and LISA (BLACKPINK) Score Big Wins at the 2026 VMAs
On the morning of September 28 (KST), the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards officially took place in Los Angeles, drawing widespread attention from the media and fans around the world. After more than three hours, the major awards of this year’s ceremony were gradually announced, bringing to a close a star-studded night celebrating some of the biggest names in international music.
Madonna emerged as one of the biggest stars of the night, delivering one of the most dominant showings at the 2026 VMAs. Returning to the VMA stage after 23 years, the singer not only opened the ceremony but was also repeatedly called to the stage as the winner of several major categories.
Madonna won Artist of the Year and Best Collaboration alongside Sabrina Carpenter for “Bring Your Love.” Meanwhile, Confessions II – The Film earned her Best Dance, Best Long Form Video, Best Cinematography and Best Choreography, while Confessions II was named Best Album. With seven wins in total, Madonna became the most-awarded artist at the 2026 VMAs, once again demonstrating her enduring influence after decades in the music industry.
Alongside Madonna, Taylor Swift also enjoyed a memorable night with three wins at the 2026 VMAs. In addition to taking Best Direction for “Opalite,” Swift secured two other major honors: Video of the Year for “The Fate of Ophelia” and Artist Director Honors, a new award introduced by MTV to recognize artists who have made outstanding contributions as directors. Beyond her victories, Swift was also given a major spotlight during the ceremony, using the VMA stage to world-premiere her new music video, “Patient Zero.”
Meanwhile, LISA was another major focus of attention, not only appearing on the VMA stage but also securing a historic victory in her solo career. The singer won Best Pop for “Dream,” featuring Kentaro Sakaguchi, beating major names including Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo. Notably, LISA became the first female K-pop artist and the first K-pop soloist in history to win Best Pop at the VMAs.
LISA was not the only Asian act celebrating major success. BTS swept all three categories in which the group was nominated at the 2026 VMAs. “SWIM” won both Song of the Year and Best K-Pop, before BTS was also announced as the winner of Best Group.
With three new trophies, BTS increased its total number of VMA wins across all categories to 13, further cementing its status as one of the most successful K-pop acts in the history of the awards. This year’s Best Group victory also marked BTS’s fifth win in the category, following four consecutive victories from 2019 through 2022.
Beyond these major names, the 2026 VMAs also honored artists representing a wide range of musical styles. Ariana Grande took home two trophies for “hate that i made you love me,” while Olivia Rodrigo won Best Alternative for “the cure.” Cardi B and Kehlani won Best Hip-Hop for “Safe,” Bruno Mars received Best R&B for “I Just Might,” and Ella Langley took Best Country for “Choosin’ Texas.” Elsewhere, Sabrina Carpenter won Best Editing for “House Tour,” PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson received Best Art Direction for “Stateside,” while Bad Bunny won Best Latin for “NUEVAYoL.”
Social Media Erupts Into Debate Over the 2026 VMA Results
However, alongside the notable victories, the 2026 VMAs also generated considerable debate over the voting process and the way the awards were announced. One of the most discussed results was LISA’s Best Pop victory for “Dream” featuring Kentaro Sakaguchi.
The singer defeated major stars including Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo to claim the trophy, immediately drawing attention as an Asian artist competing against some of the biggest names in international pop. Some viewers argued that “Dream” had not achieved chart results comparable to several of its competitors, leading them to question the outcome.
However, Best Pop is a category decided entirely by fan voting rather than a professional judging panel. This voting system makes fandom strength an important factor in the competition. LISA has a massive international fan base, while organized online voting has long been a familiar part of K-pop fandom culture.
Similarly, Best New Artist became another widely discussed category after CORTIS advanced deep into the competition but ultimately failed to win. The South Korean boy group reached the Top 3 alongside Bella Kay and Sienna Spiro following multiple rounds of voting, with CORTIS fans continuously mobilizing votes across online platforms.
Some viewers believed that CORTIS had a genuine chance of competing for the trophy given the strength of its fandom and the considerable voting efforts behind the group. However, the final victory went to Sienna Spiro.
BTS was another case that prompted questions from fans. Despite sweeping all three of its nominations at the 2026 VMAs, the group was nominated in only three categories: Song of the Year and Best K-Pop for “SWIM,” as well as Best Group.
This meant that ARIRANG and “SWIM” were absent from several other major VMA categories, including Video of the Year and Artist of the Year, despite the album and song achieving notable results in the global market. “SWIM” previously topped the Billboard Hot 100, while ARIRANG spent three consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
The results were not the only aspect of the 2026 VMAs to spark discussion. The organization of the ceremony also became a talking point after repeated scheduling problems. The awards show was delayed because the preceding program ran longer than expected, affecting broadcast times in multiple regions. More notably, the televised ceremony ended before all the awards had been presented, with as many as 17 categories left out of the main broadcast, including major awards such as Song of the Year and Best K-Pop.
The decision to end the broadcast while numerous awards had yet to be announced surprised viewers and further fueled debate over how MTV allocated airtime and organized this year’s ceremony. Discussions surrounding the 2026 VMAs continue to attract significant attention from both the global media and music fans.
Sources: kenh14