Taylor Swift made the whole place shimmer at the 2022 American Music Awards on Sunday, where she picked up six trophies, including the award for Artist of the Year.
As well as collecting the Artist of the Year award for the seventh time in her career, Taylor also became the first artist in the ceremony’s 50-year history to win 40 AMAs, on a night that also featured awards for other icons, including Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar and Harry Styles.
The ceremony, hosted by Wayne Brady, featured a tribute to the 2022 AMA Icon Award winner Lionel Richie, with Stevie Wonder and Charlie Puth performing the songs of Richie and the Commodores.
The pair closed the musical tribute with a performance of We Are the World alongside Ari Lennox, Smokey Robinson and others.
But the night belonged to Taylor, the most-awarded artist in AMAs history ahead of Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston.
She won awards for her All Too Well (Taylor’s Version) music video and her album Red (Taylor’s Version).
During her Artist of the Year acceptance speech, Taylor attributed her musical output to her fans.
“You encouraged me and I found that the more music I made and the more music I put out, the happier I was, the more I just kept that channel open and just kept creating, kept making things,” the chart-topping singer said.
“So, I have the fans to thank, essentially, for my happiness. And I love you more than I can say, I cannot express how unbelievable it is to me that I still get to do this and that you still care.”
The AMAs, held at Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theatre, also included stars’ reflections on the weekend mass shooting at a Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ nightclub.
Best New Artist winner Dove Cameron, who identifies as queer, addressed the shooting during her acceptance speech and highlighted the importance of queer visibility.
“I want to remind you that you are made absolutely right, and you are so loved and so held,” Dove said.
Kim Petras, the first openly transgender musician to achieve the top spot on Billboard’s Hot 100, said she hasn’t stopped thinking about those victimised by the violence.
“My heart goes out to you,” she said.