Taylor Swift Made AMAs History And Gave Two Stirring Speeches About Her Fans

At the 2019 American Music Awards on Sunday night (November 24), Taylor Swift won the full ceremony. Not just because she snagged the trophies for the five awards that she was nominated in, which surpassed Michael Jackson's record-setting total of 24 (Swift right now has an almost unreal collection of 29), yet also because her emotional and powerful acceptance speeches for Artist of the Decade and Artist of the Year instructed her story in authentic ways.


And given all of the behind-the-scenes drama that led up to her appearance onstage at the show, the speeches felt like positive punctuation on a saga that could've very conveniently gone another way.


Swift beamed as she took the stage to receive the Artist of the Decade honor from Carole King. She recounted her parents' experiences with King's seminal Tapestry album and contextualized them with her finding her love for music, setting the admirable tone of a student of music who has right now become a professor herself. "All any of the artists, or really anyone in this room, wants is to prepare something that will last, whichever it is in life," she mentioned. "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."


Swift dedicated the remainder of her speech to hers, folding them into the umbrella of a family member. "Guys, we've had fun, incredible, exciting, extraordinary times with each other, and could it continue," she mentioned. "Thank you for being the reason why I am on this stage, from the very starting day of my career up until tonight. I love you with all of my heart."


Later, accepting Artist of the Year, Swift took time to talk about the last year's trials and tribulations: from the creation and release of her recent studio album Lover and the controversy surrounding her feud with music manager Scooter Braun and former label Big Machine. However Swift kept her speech positive. "Just the fact that the last year of my life has had some of the most astonishing times as well as some of just the hardest things I've gone through in my life, and not a lot of those are things that haven't been public," she mentioned, "and I wanted to thank you for so much for being the thing that has been a constant in my life."


Earlier in the night, Swift took the audience on a ride, performing a career-spanning set that, at one point in the lead-up to the show, seemed like it can might not directly happen at all. However once it did, it really did — and even featured visitor appearances by pals Camila Cabello and Halsey. She played songs like "Shake It Off," "Love Story," "I Knew You Were Trouble," and more.


Take a look at her speeches and efficiency up above.