The 'ME!' singer is the first to receive this honor.
Friday is for "Lovers!"
Swifties were in for a treat on Sunday night when Taylor Swift announced plans to release her new song, "Lovers," on Friday, Aug. 16. The singer shared the news while accepting the inaugural Icon Award at the 2019 Teen Choice Awards in Hermosa Beach, California.
“I also just wanted to tell you…” she teased at the end of her speech. “There’s so much I’m excited about in the next 12 days until my album Lover comes out. On the 16th, I have a new song called ‘Lover’ that’s coming out and I’m so excited."
The words were met with shrieks of delight from the crowd, who cheered on the songstress throughout her inspirational speech in which she encouraged fans to embrace making mistakes.
“If anybody’s a teen out there, I think one thing I wish I would have known when I was a teen was mistakes are inevitable,” said the 29-year-old songstress, who rocked a colorful Versace outfit while soccer player Alex Morgan presented her with the surfboard award. “I think sometimes you think if you try hard enough to make every decision perfectly, you think you can possibly ace life and never make any mistakes. But it’s normal to make mistakes, and I just want you to know if you’re out there and you’re being really hard on yourself for something that’s happened, or messing up or feeling embarrassed, it’s normal.”
“That’s what’s going to happen to you in life,” she continued. “No one gets through unscathed. We’re all going to have a few scratches. We live in a crazy world, and we’re living in an insane time, so please be kind to yourselves and stand up for yourself. Please.”
Swift’s big moment started with Morgan taking the stage to shout out some of the efforts and accomplishments that made her pal the perfect recipient for the award.
“Taylor uses her platform to be a role model for positive change, break barriers, stand up for gender equality -- including equal pay for men and women,” Morgan said. “She personally lends a hand to causes big and small. Without fanfare, she has given to library and literacy programs, schools and animal organizations, survivors of sexual assault, victims of floods and hurricanes, and much, much more. She inspires others through her actions. In short, Taylor has redefined what it means to be an icon.”
A video honoring Swift’s achievements was then played to screaming fans, with messages from the likes of her buddy Ed Sheeran, who commended her for inspiring people around the world with her songwriting and performances.
Girl group HAIM were also shown, saying, “Your songs have literally been the soundtrack to some of the most memorable moments of our lives.”
“You have changed the game over and over again while supporting young and up-and-coming artists,” added Troye Sivan.
According to an eyewitness, Swift was "super excited" while watching the video package and raised her hands in the air when she saw Sheeran's message.
She then took the stage to address her fans.
“All right, we have a lot to talk about,” she said, chuckling while admiring the image of her beloved cats on the surfboard. “First, I want to talk about Alex Morgan. The fact that she’s here presenting this to me is such an honor. Not only winning the World Cup with her amazing teammates, but while they were winning the World Cup, they were also taking a historic stand in terms of gender equality, gender pay gap. Please, please, please support her and her teammates, because this isn’t over yet. It’s not resolved. Get online. Talk about it.”
She then gave a shoutout to the Teen Choice Awards for putting her “itty bitty pretty kitty committee” on her surfboard.
“These are my furry children, and this is really proud moment for me that they’re on a Teen Choice Award,” she gushed. “It’s just so meow, and I’m really having a proud moment. Aesthetically speaking, this may be my favorite award."
“I just want to talk to the fans for a second,” she continued. “You make me so happy. You make me laugh every day online. I love meeting you. You’re just the most amazing, generous people. Thank you for giving me the life that I have every single minute of every day. I know that you’re the reason I have the life I have and that I get to do what I love doing.”
Swift currently holds the record for the most Teen Choice Awards by a solo artist. She's won 25 awards and has been nominated over 60 times. This year alone, she was nominated in three categories, including Choice Female Artist and Choice Pop Song for her catchy "ME!" track off the upcoming Lover album.
"As one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with more than 50 million albums sold, Taylor Swift is a pop culture icon whose accolades and achievements go beyond topping music charts and selling out stadiums worldwide," Fox, who aired the Teen Choice Awards, said in a press release prior to the show. "Swift is also one of today’s biggest social influencers, using her voice and platform to inspire and create positive change."
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