Taylor Swift had a great night at the 2009 American Music Awards.
At just 19 years old, the American Music Awards nominated Swift for six awards. That night, she would take five awards, including Artist of the Year. She was also up against pop legend Michael Jackson, who died earlier that year, for the title.
Swift ultimately overshadowed Jackson when Swift would take Artist of the Year. Jackson took home four awards that night.
When Swift beat the King of Pop for the title of Artist of the Year, she was humble in her acceptance speech.
“Music has never been ultimately about competition,” Swift said, after winning the artist of the year prize. She said it was an “unimaginable honor” to be cited in the same category as Jackson, and thanked the Jackson family.
Swift continued her winning streak. She dominated the Country category, taking home the title of Country Female Artist and Country Album.
Additionally, she proved herself to be a universally-loved artist when she captured the awards for Adult Contemporary and Pop/Rock Female.
A Year of Accomplishment for Taylor Swift
In 2009, she released her second studio album, Fearless. It became the top-selling that year in the United States. The track “Love Story” hit No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was No. 1 in Australia, according to Billboard.
She released her singles “White Horse,” “You Belong with Me,” “Fifteen,” and “Fearless” throughout 2008-2009. “You Belong With Me” would become the album’s highest-charting single on the Billboard Hot 100.
However, 2009 was not without its hurdles for her. When she won “Best Female Video” for “You Belong with Me” at the MTV Music Video Awards, her speech was disastrously interrupted by Kanye West. The controversial incident would garner widespread media attention and follow Swift’s career.
Despite the unforeseen hiccup, Swift continued to crush 2009. The Grammys named Fearless as Album of the Year making her the youngest artist to win the title. She also won Best Country Album. Her song “White Horse” was named Best Country Song and Best Female Vocal Performance.
At the CMAs, she was the youngest artist to win Entertainer of the Year. Fearless also won the Album of the Year Award.
