Taylor Swift Appears Via Video Message at the 2024 Music Awards
Taylor Swift did not attend the 2024 Billboard Music Awards in person, but she still took the time to give a special message with the audience.
The music artist, 34, rehearsed a video for the Thursday, December 12, awards event, when she made history by taking home 10 trophies. The additional victories raise her total Billboard honors to 49, making her BMA’s highest winner of all time.
“I just want to say hi and thank you to the Billboard Awards and thank you to the fans because Billboard is counting your stuff, they’re counting what you listen to, the albums that you’re passionate about,” she stated in her acceptance speech. “And so I count these as fan awards because you guys are the ones who care about our albums and come see us in concert.”
She continued: “And everything that’s happened with the Eras Tour and the Tortured Poets Department, I just have to say thank you. It means the world to me that you guys have embraced the stuff I’ve done and the fact that you care so much.”
Swift, who turns 35 on Friday, December 13, said she regarded the honor as the ideal gift.
“This is like, the nicest early birthday present you could have given me. So thank you very lot. I adore it. It’s just what I wanted.”
Swift was up for 17 Billboard Music awards this year, making her the most-nominated woman and second most-nominated artist after Zach Bryan, who garnered 21 nods.
Swift’s nominations included Top Artist, Top Female Artist, Top Billboard 200 Artist, Top Hot 100 Artist, Top Hot 100 Songwriter, Top Hot 100 Producer, Top Streaming Songs Artist, Top Radio Songs Artist, Top Song Sales Artist, Top Billboard Global 200 Artist, Top Billboard Global (Excl. U.S.) Artist, Top Billboard 200 Album for 1989 (Taylor’s Version) and The Tortured Poets Department, Top Radio Song, Top Billboard Global 200 Song and Top Billboard Global (Excl. U.S.) Song for “Cruel Summer” and Top Collaboration for “Fortnight” featuring Post Malone.
Ahead of the awards presentation, Swift was tied with Drake for the most Billboard Music Awards wins by any artist, with 39 each. The rapper, 38, was nominated in eight categories this year and squared up against Swift in three: Top Artist, Top Billboard 200 Artist and Top Billboard 200 Album.
Swift’s virtual appearance at the Billboard Music Awards comes days after she ended her record-breaking Eras Tour in Vancouver on Sunday, December 8. The initiative launched off in Glendale, Arizona, in March 2023, ultimately traversing five continents and making more than $2 billion with a total of 149 performances in front of a combined 10.1 million attendees.
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During her Friday, December 6, event in Vancouver, Swift reminisced on her journey over the last two years.
“I’ve never played more shows on tour or toured longer than I have with the Eras Tour,” she informed the audience. “There are so many reasons for that, like, nobody’s backstage saying, ‘You gotta do more shows.’ I chose to make this tour the longest I’ve ever done because you have made this feel like so much more than a concert tour in so many ways.”
She said, “I’ve been going on tour since I was 15 years old, and this has felt different in every single way. It’s felt like this escape to a world where nothing but love and enthusiasm and unity and camaraderie existed every night going out to these crowds.”
Swift noted that each Eras event allowed her to “relive [her] favorite memories” from earlier tours while simultaneously finding a way to “make new” ones.
Earlier this week, Swift published a series of images via Instagram from her farewell gigs. “It was rare. I was there. I remember it.,” she captioned her Wednesday, December 11, post, quoting lyrics from her hit song “All Too Well.”