BTS set new record at 2022 Billboard Music Awards
The Korean phenoms smashed Destiny's Child's tally
By Joe Goggins
BTS won three awards at last night’s (May 15) Billboard Music Awards, taking their overall tally to 12 – a new record for a group.
The kings of K-pop scooped Top Duo/Group, Top Song Sales Artist and Top Selling Song, for ‘Butter’. The wins mean that they have broken Destiny’s Child’s record of 11 wins, a record that had stood for 17 years.
The Korean band were not present at the ceremony in Las Vegas, with the bulk of the awards having been given out via TikTok livestream. They recently expressed a desire to take some time away from the limelight.
Their wins mean that they have drawn level with One Direction in the Top Duo/Group category, with three wins apiece. Whilst the band were not among the evening’s performers, the ceremony at the MGM Grand Garden Arena did see the return of Travis Scott to the live stage, six months on from the Astroworld Festival tragedy in his native Houston that claimed the lives of ten people.
Scott played a new track that is reportedly entitled ‘Lost Forever’. Last week, P Diddy had announced on Instagram that he had personally arranged for Scott to perform at the awards. The legendary rapper hosted the show, introducing Scott as well as Megan Thee Stallion, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Silk Sonic, Ed Sheeran, Mary J Blige, and Florence + the Machine, all of whom took the stage in Vegas.
In addition, country singer Morgan Wallen performed live, as well as picking up the award for Best Male Country Artist. The booking had been the subject of no little controversy, given that he was banned from last year’s ceremony after footage emerged of him using a racial slur.
The evening’s big winners included Drake, who won five awards, meaning that he and Taylor Swift, who took home six gongs, are now tied for the solo artist with the most Billboard wins, with 29 each. Olivia Rodrigo, meanwhile, won seven prizes, including Top New Artist, Top Female Artist, and Top Billboard 200 Album, for ‘Sour’.