Justin Bieber sets American Music Awards record with fifth best male pop artist win

Justin Bieber performs "Yukon" during the 68th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Invision, Chris Pizzello

Justin Bieber set a new American Music Awards record on Monday night, becoming the first musician to win best male pop artist five times.

The Stratford, Ont., native already held the record with four previous victories. He first won the award, previously named favourite pop/rock male artist, in 2010.

Bieber entered this year’s ceremony in Las Vegas with four nominations, including artist of the year and album of the year for last year’s “Swag.”

The win brings Bieber’s career total to 19 American Music Awards, tying him with the late Kenny Rogers for the second-most wins by a male artist. The late Michael Jackson remains the leader among men, with 24 awards.

The “Peaches” singer made a concert comeback last month when he headlined Coachella, marking his first major show since cancelling a tour in 2022 in order to deal with the health effects of Ramsay Hunt syndrome.

Other major winners on Monday included BTS, who took home artist of the year, and Sabrina Carpenter, who pocketed album of the year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 26, 2026.

Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press