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Taylor Swift Won ‘Artist of the Decade’ Last Night & Her Speech Brought Fans (& Her Parents) to Tears

ICYMI: Taylor Swift cleaned up at the American Music Awards last night.

Not only did the 29-year-old “Lover” singer snag five awards for her newest album, but she was also was honored with the Artist of the Decade statue. It was quite the evening.

Swift took the stage to accept her AMA after performing a medley of her hit songs and delivered an empowering speech that made fans (and her parents, Andrea and Scott Swift) tear up.

“First of all, I want to say that getting to share the stage with Misty Copeland and Craig Hall and Camila Cabello and Halsey and all those amazing dancers, was in so many ways, a dream come true,” Swift began. “So that performance was even more fun than I hoped it would be. Oh, my God.”

Swift also took a moment to open up about her connection with musician Carole King, who presented her with the award. The “Shake It Off” singer admitted she couldn’t “believe” King was the one bestowing her with an AMA, which brought tears to her parents' eyes. 

She went on to say, “So, you know, my parents are here tonight. And, you know, they would listen to ‘Tapestry’ and all your records in high school, then they took them with them and packed them up to college with them.”

Swift’s parents ultimately shared that love of King’s music with their children. Swift explained, “When they met and got their own house, they took those records with them, and played those records for me and my brother. When I fell in love with music, it was right around the time I realized how marvelous it was that an artist could transcend so many different changes and phases in people’s lives. So, you taught me that that was a possibility.”

The Artist of the Decade concluded her heartfelt speech with words of gratitude to her fans: “Whatever it is in life. And the fact that this is an award that celebrates a decade of hard work and of art and of fun and memories, all that matters to me is the memories that I have had with you guys, with you, the fans, over the years.”

After the award show wrapped, Swift posed with her six brand-new trophies and shared the snap (above) to Instagram. She captioned it, “Hi guys have I told you lately that I LOVE YOU,” thanking her fans for their endless support.

You go, T-Swift.



lex

Cat mom, yogi, brunch enthusiast

Lex is an LA native who's deeply obsessed with picnics, Slim Aarons, rosé, Hollywood history and Joan Didion. She joined PureWow in early 2017.