South African singer Tyla has emerged as the winner of the Best Afrobeats Artist category at the 2026 American Music Awards (AMAs), beating Nigerian heavyweights Burna Boy, Wizkid, and Rema.

The announcement was part of the full winners list from the ceremony held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

 Best Afrobeats Artist (2026 AMAs)

• Tyla - WINNER
• Burna Boy
•  
• Wizkid
•  
• Rema
•  
• MOLIY
•  

According to the final results, Tyla clinched the award for the second consecutive year, continuing her strong global run in the Afrobeats/Pop fusion category.

  Context from the awards night:

The 2026 AMAs featured strong competition across global categories, with African artists once again dominating the Afrobeats category, which included top Nigerian acts.

Industry observers say the result reflects the increasing global crossover of Afrobeats and pop sounds, where South African and Nigerian artists are competing on the same international stage.

Fans online have since reacted strongly to the results, with mixed opinions over genre classification and voting outcomes.

The AMAs winners were decided based on public engagement and fan voting across categories.