Taylor Swift Gave a Mic-Drop-Worthy Speech at the Brits, and We Are So Glad We Stan
JMEnternational/JMEnternational for BRIT Awards, Getty Images
Taylor Swift can now add the title of "Global Icon" to her long (read: very, very long) list of accomplishments, and of course, she made history in the process. The "Willow" singer received the Global Icon award at the 2021 Brit Awards on May 11th, making her the first-ever female artist to be honored with the esteemed award, and to make this an even bigger deal, she's the first non-British artist as well.
She of course showed up to the award show in true Swift fashion—harkening back to her early days with her silver, glittery two-piece outfit and perfectly coifed bangs. But it was her acceptance speech that truly has her fans in tears, because she, as always, proved that she's one of the hardest working women in music and deserves all the awards bestowed upon her.
After touching on her accomplishments over the past year, Swift went on to urge listeners to always be fearless. (See what we did there?) "There might be times when you put your whole heart and soul into something, and you're met with cynicism or skepticism, but you can't let that crush you. You have to let that fuel you. We live in a world where anyone can say anything that they want about you at any time. But just please remember that you have the right to prove them wrong."
Very clearly thinking back to the struggles she's faced recently over losing the masters to her music and having to re-record her old albums just so she can own what's rightfully yours, Swift also cited the negativity in the industry.
"I need you to hear me when I say that there is no career path that comes free of negativity. If you're being met with resistance, that probably means doing something new. If you're experiencing turbulence or pressure, that probably means you're rising."
She became visibly emotional during her speech, and there wasn't a dry eye watching either.
Unlike other traditional American music awards like Album of the Year (which Swift won at the 2021 Grammys for Folklore), the global icon award isn't given out annually, making this achievement *that* much more prestigious.
In the 47 years that the Brit Awards have been occurring, only three artists have been awarded this honor: Elton John in 2014, David Bowie in 2016, and Robbie Williams in 2017.
According to the Brit Awards themselves, the Global Icon award is the highest honor one can receive from the organization, and this year Swift, a six-time Brit Award nominee, was given the honor "in recognition of her immense impact on music across the world and incredible repertoire and achievements to date."
As always, Global Icon Taylor Swift is nothing short of impressive.
