The American Music Awards celebrated the best popular music for a second pandemic year with a mix of live and pre-taped performances, with BTS and Coldplay — two of the biggest groups on Earth — teaming up for a live and raucous version of their cosmic collaboration “My Universe”.

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While BTS is known for having some of the tightest choreography in pop music, the onstage atmosphere was decidedly looser and more lively for this performance. 

Coldplay’s Chris Martin and BTS — all of whom appeared to be having a great time — covered the stage in a kind of a shapeshifting horde. Meanwhile, BTS crowded around Martin as he occasionally lifted his hands up towards the sky and the universe beyond it, performing for an enthusiastic crowd wearing light-up wristbands.

Martin was dressed in a plain red t-shirt, while BTS wore streetwear like leather jackets, graffiti printed t-shirts, and bandanas. 

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Although there were some sound issues at the beginning of the performance, everything was tightened up by the end, with Martin and BTS peppering the song’s finale with a series of happy jumps and shouts that were perfectly timed to several pyrotechnic explosions that enthralled all the stars in the audience.

This was the first time Coldplay and BTS performed the song live and in front of an audience. The AMAs had also planned for BTS to perform their “Butter” remix with Megan Thee Stallion, but she had to cancel her appearance due to a “unexpected personal matter” yesterday (Nov. 20). 

The K-pop boy band bagged the award for favourite pop duo or group for the third time, leaping onto the stage with glee and thanking their adoring fans for their three-peat. Bad Bunny’s “El ltimo Tour Del Mundo” was voted the best Latin album.

The American Music Awards 2021 were opened by Silk Sonic’s Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak on a funky, R&B and pre-taped note with their “Smokin Out the Window” and host Cardi B in a fur headdress — one of a constant stream of new outfits — revved up the crowd, admitting she was sweating.