The 'Lover' singer had something to say while accepting Artist of the Decade at the awards show on Sunday.
Taylor Swift had something to say at the 2019 American Music Awards: thank you.
The "Lover" singer was honored with the Artist of the Decade Award at the AMAs on Sunday -- but instead of using her acceptance speech to address all that drama with Big Machine Records, she thanked her fans for their support over the years. The big moment had her mom, Andrea, in tears.
Swift claimed earlier this month that Scooter Braun and Scott Borchetta of her former label, Big Machine Records, were blocking her from singing her old songs at the AMAs. Days of back-and-forth statements followed, with celebs taking sides. Last Monday, Big Machine released a statement sharing they had come to an agreement to allow Swift to perform her music.
On Sunday, Swift sang "Mad," "Love Story," "I Knew You Were Trouble" and "Blank Space" before Camila Cabello and Halsey then joined her for "Shake It Off. Then Misty Copeland emerged to dance to Swift's "Lover."
"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 tonight was absolutely... a dream come true. So, that performance was even more fun than I hoped it would be," Swift began her speech, before addressing Carole King, who presented her with the award.
"I cannot believe that it's Carole King, it's you who gave me this award. My parents are here tonight... and they would listen to Tapestry and all those other records in high school... then when they had my brother and I, they played those records for us," she said, thanking King for making music that would accompany people through different phases in their lives.
Swift continued: "The fact that this is an award that celebrates a decade of hard work and art and fun and memories, all that matters to me is the memories I've had with you guys, with you, the fans, over the years. And guys, we've had ...fun times together."
"Thank you for being the reason I am on this stage, from the very first day of my career until tonight," she concluded. "I'm so lucky to get to do this."
Swift's positive speech was the second one she made at the AMAs, with the first one, for Favorite Album -- Pop/Rock, seemingly referencing her feud with Braun and Borchetta. The singer accused Braun of "bullying" her in June, as he purchased Big Machine through his company, Ithaca Holdings, for a reported $300 million. Doing so gave him the rights to Swift's master recordings that were made prior to her exit from the label in 2018.
On Monday, Big Machine Label Group released a statement insisting that they and "Dick Clark Productions have come to terms on a licensing agreement that approves their artists’ performances to stream post show and for re-broadcast on mutually approved platforms. This includes the upcoming American Music Awards performance."
However, shortly after that statement's release, Dick Clark Productions told ET in a statement that, "At no time did Dick Clark Productions agree to, create, authorize or distribute a statement in partnership with Big Machine Label Group regarding Taylor Swift’s performance at the 2019 American Music Awards. Any final agreement on this matter needs to be made directly with Taylor Swift’s management team."
See more in the video below.
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