In a historic night for Taylor Swift, the current undisputed queen of pop dethroned the eternal king of pop Michael Jackson from the top of the American Music Awards (AMAs) record books with a record haul of six AMA wins putting her total to 29 trophies easily eclipsing Michael’s once seemingly insurmountable 24 statuettes!
To mark the occasion, no less than legendary singer/songwriter Carole King presented Taylor her award for Artist of the Decade!
“Over the years, I have known some great songwriters and I have also known some great singers and performers,” Carole said. “It’s rare to see all those talents in one person. Taylor Swift. She is one of the only modern pop artists whose name appears as the sole songwriter in her song credits. Her lyrics resonate across all generations, her songs touch everyone and her impact around the world is extraordinary.”
It was a significant moment for Taylor, who, for the past few months, has been embroiled in a huge controversy with her former record label on the ownership of her music catalogue, including her masters and her first six studio albums. There were tension mere days before the AMAs when Taylor announced on social media that she was being barred to perform her hits songs on the show. It was settled just in time and the queen got to perform her greatest hits and the fans inside the Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles and those watching the show on television worldwide were treated to one of the show’s most unforgettable performances!
In her acceptance speech, Taylor did not address the issue directly but what she wore did the talking. The singer initially appeared on stage wearing an oversized shirt emblazoned with the titles of the six albums in dispute.
“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 phases and changes in people’s lives. You taught me that that’s a possibility,” she humbly told Miss King after she handed her the trophy.
And to her fans, she added, “I guess what I am trying to say is, any of the artists or what really anyone in this room wants is to create something that will last. Whatever it is in life. The fact that this is an award that celebrates a decade of hard work, all that matters to me are the memories that I’ve had with you guys, with you, the fans, over the years. Thank you for being the reason why I am on this stage from the very first day of my career until tonight. I love you with all my heart.”
Taylor unleashed a furious, colorful and unforgettable 13-minute long greatest hits number where she first performed her current hit The Man an anthem for women songwriters and performers asking for change in the industry before she was joined on stage by Camila Cabello and Halsey for an exhilarating performance of Blank Space, Shake It Off, Love Story and her other hits!
Later on Instagram, the queen of the AMAs happily posed with her six trophies.
It wasn’t just Taylor who made the show memorable. Selena Gomez returned to open the show and performed for the first time two years after receiving a life-saving kidney transplant due to complications from Lupus. (Some people commented that she sang off-key although we didn’t notice it inside the theater.)
Another Lupus survivor, Toni Braxton, triumphantly returned on the AMA stage to perform her classic hit Un-break My Heart 25 years after she first performed it on the show.
Green Day, the iconic ‘90s rock group, also returned to celebrate 25 years of their groundbreaking album Dookie and performed the rock anthem Basket Case.
Country superstar Shania Twain also made a memorable appearance, after an absence of nearly two decades, with an unforgettable performance of her hit songs to close the show.
The American Music Awards is the biggest fan-voted awards show in the world.
Among the big winners of the night were Post Malone, who won favorite hip-hop album for Hollywood’s Bleeding and the sensational Billie Eilish (watch her sweep the Grammys in January!). The 17-year-old singer won two trophies as favorite new artist and favorite alternative rock artist.
Shawn Mendes and Camila, who performed their global hit Señorita, beat Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s Shallow for Best Collaboration of the Year.
If you missed the live airing of the show, you can still catch the replays Nov. 29 at 8:50 p.m., Nov. 30 at 1:50 p.m. and Dec. 1 at 9:55 p.m. on the Blue Ant Entertainment channel.
Blue Ant Entertainment is available in the Philippines on Cignal channel 120, SKYcable channels 53(SD) and 196(HD), SKYdirect channel 35, Destiny Cable channel 53, and Cablelink channel 37.
There are so many other memorable moments on the show that no music fan should miss, including a sultry Camila Cabello performance, Lizzo’s towering number, Post-Malone’s collaboration with rock legend Ozzy Osbourne and Travis Scott, Billie’s fiery set, Dua Lipa’s stunning Don’t Start Now performance, and the worldwide television debut of the new Christina Aguilera and A Great Big World ballad Fall On Me, their follow-up to the No. 1 hit Say Something.