The American Music Awards proved to be an exciting night for Taylor Swift. The pop superstar made history as she accepted her 29th AMA award, breaking a record of most AMA wins set by Michael Jackson, who previously reigned with 26.
Swift accepted a haul of 6 awards over the course of the night including Artist of the Year, Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist, Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist, Favorite Music Video for “You Need to Calm Down,” and Favorite Pop/Rock Album for her newest record, “Lover.”
Undoubtedly Swift’s biggest win of the night was being awarded the Artist of the Decade. Although I wasn’t a fan of Taylor Swift until her newest album, “Lover,” there is no denying her impact. She has consistently topped the charts throughout the decade in addition to having an incredibly active and loyal fanbase. Do I think she’s the most influential and groundbreaking artist of the decade? No, but the award is still well-deserved.
In fact, the presentation of the Artist of the Decade award and performance to follow was one of the most anticipated moments of the night. Swift had recently ran into a squabble with her former record label, Big Machine Label Group.
Earlier this year, Swift announced her plans to re-record her fist five albums to regain artistic and financial control for them after Big Machine sold the rights to the music for $300 million. This happened just two months after Big Machine was bought out by Ithaca Holdings, owned by none other than Scooter Braun.
On Nov. 14, Swift posted a message on Instagram that explained the existing complications between her and the label. As the AMAs approached, Swift planned on performing a medley of songs from her career. Swift claimed in a Twitter post that since she didn’t own the rights to her older music anymore, she would not be able to perform anything except songs from her newest album, “Lover.” She called upon her Twitter Fans to stand up to Braun and, needless to say, chaos ensued.
Eventually, Braun stated he and Big Machine had never tried to stop Swift from performing her old hits and that the artist was free to do whatever she wanted on the telecast.
Usually, I find it patronizing when people talk about women’s clothing at award shows, rather than their accomplishments. However, Swift made a bold statement with her costume choice, expressing her defiance to her old record label.
Swift, now signed with Universal Music Group’s Republic Records, began the medley singing her feminist anthem, “The Man,” while wearing a white button-down shirt bearing all the names of her old albums recorded under Big Machine such as “Fearless” and “Red.” “Lover” was the first album Swift recorded with UMG and therefore, the first album which she actually held ownership of her songs. She was accompanied on stage with eager young girls in matching shirts who got to sing and dance to the song with her.
After singing from “Lover,” Swift took off the shirt that symbolically restricted her to reveal a sparkly, gold leotard. The medley then transitioned into fan-favorites such as “Love Story,” “Blank Space,” and “Shake it Off.”
I think her costume choices were brilliant and showed her defiance in a clever and powerful way. Fans across the country wondered how she would address the dispute and, rather than negatively speaking about Big Machine in an acceptance speech, she chose to express her feelings towards the matter in her performance. By indirectly addressing the conflict in a subtle way, she empowered other up-and-coming artists to stand up for themselves.
Her acceptance speech didn’t aim to be petty either, as Swift dedicated her award to her fans and gave thanks for their support. In her acceptance speech, Swift said “all any of the artists, or really anyone in this room, wants is to create something that will last, whatever it is in life.” I think this quote perfectly captured her attitude towards the evening as she gave thanks to her fans and the memories they’ve created.
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