"We’ve always been on a mission to celebrate diversity"
KATSEYE delivered one of the most talked-about performances at the 2026 American Music Awards with a hyper-pop inspired rendition of ‘Pinky Up’ before winning Best New Artist.
The girl group transformed the AMAs stage into a brightly coloured tea room.
The elaborate set featured extras miming tea-drinking and eating pastries while holding their pinky fingers aloft, leaning into the song’s playful take on tea-drinking etiquette.
It quickly escalated into a rave-inspired spectacle filled with EDM beats, pink lighting and oversized props.
KATSEYE emerged from a giant pink teddy bear while wearing costumes decorated with miniature bear faces.
‘Pinky Up’ stood out as one of the night’s most ambitious performances. The staging reflected the anticipation surrounding KATSEYE’s appearance, driven by the group’s rapidly growing global fanbase.
Shortly after performing, KATSEYE won the award for Best New Artist.
During the group’s acceptance speech, group member Lara Raj highlighted the band’s multicultural identity:
“We’ve always been on a mission to celebrate diversity and represent our people and our culture, so thank you so much for giving us the platform to do so.”
The performance was introduced by EJAE and Rei Ami of KPop Demon Hunters fame.
Before the group took to the stage, EJAE said:
“Tonight already feels golden, and it’s about to get even better.”
KATSEYE and the KPop Demon Hunters singers previously collaborated during the group’s Coachella appearance in April for a live performance of ‘Golden’.
Rei Ami later described the collaboration as “a beautiful meeting of girl power”.
KATSEYE performed “Pinky Up” at the AMAs tonight and completely owned the stage.
KATSEYE GOES WILD AT AMAs#KATSEYE_AMAs pic.twitter.com/wiMvNw0DZ8
— KATSEYE B?SE (@KATSEYEBASE) May 26, 2026
‘Pinky Up’ will feature on KATSEYE’s upcoming third EP, Wild, which is scheduled for release on August 14, 2026.
Fans first heard the track after it was released as a digital single in early April before the group debuted it live across both weekends of Coachella later that month.
KATSEYE entered the AMAs with three nominations: Best New Artist, Breakthrough Pop Artist and Best Music Video for ‘Gnarly’.
The AMAs performance also marked the group’s first major awards show appearance since the Grammys and their first as a five-member act following Manon Bannerman’s hiatus announcement earlier in 2026.
Manon’s announcement sparked speculation among fans, prompting Lara to speak out, stating there were “very harmful false narratives” and calling any suggestion of tension within the group “so dumb”.
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