Looks like Taylor Swift came home as The Lucky One on Thursday night.
Thanks to her extensive and record-breaking world tour Reputation, the 29-year-old sensation won the ‘Tour of the Year’ award at the annual iHeartRadio Music Awards ceremony.
Swift’s longtime friend and fellow country singer, Maren Morris, presented her with the impressive award before they embraced one another.
The Shake it Off singer was greeted with the applause of thousands who filled the Microsoft Theater in L.A. She followed up with a wide-grinned smile and an emotional two-minute speech which thanked her dedicated fans directly.
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Swift continued to admit she was filled with a lack of confidence before embarking on the lengthy and ambitious Reputation tour:
“It was really great to hear people saying that I was going to be playing to nearly empty stadiums,” she joked.
“That unforeseeable factor, in this case, was… my fans,” she added. Once again, the stadium burst into an uproar of applause. “I honestly owe everything… everything in my life to you,” she claimed.
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The Reputation tour was Swift’s biggest extravaganza yet. It pulled in more than US$345.7 million and saw her play a variety of shows throughout North America, Asia, Europe and Oceania.
The 53-date trek ran between May and November of 2018, and celebrated the RIAA-certified 3x platinum album of the same name.
Since its release, Reputation has sold more than 4.5-million copies across the globe. It was the second best-selling album of 2017, behind Ed Sheeran‘s Divide, according to the IFPI’s 2018 global music report.
“I want to thank you if you came out and saw a show in the perfect weather, or if you came out to one of our many rain shows,” continued Swift.
“Also, I want to say thank you if you just watched the show on Netflix, or on your couch with your dog,” she said, referring to Netflix’s recent and exclusive Taylor Swift: Reputation Stadium Tour special.
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Before leaving the stage, Swift took it upon herself to hint at a brand new album. “I love seeing all the things that you’re posting online,” she said, also revealing her appreciation for the influx of social media messages she receives.
“I love your passion,” she added. “I love your attention to detail and I love how much you care. When there’s new music, you will be the first to know.”
“I love you so much,” Swift concluded.
Swift started a mysterious countdown on her Instagram page a few weeks back, which many believed would result in the release of new music.
However, it quickly came to a halt, and since then, Swift’s account has been filled with photos and captions that include butterflies. Many have speculated that the colourfully-winged insects will be the theme of her follow-up record.
Before hitting the iHeartRadio stage, Swift again, posted a picture relating to butterflies. It was a photo of a pair of butterfly-clad heels — the ones which she wore at the awards ceremony on Thursday night.
As a result of these posts and her “I love your attention to detail” comment, Swift diehards are picking up their magnifying glasses and deerstalker hats as they formulate their own theories for the pop star’s seventh album.
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Although not currently confirmed, it is being heavily speculated that Swift has been in the studio since the conclusion of her beloved tour.
A brand new show is expected following the release of her upcoming album. Many are now left wondering how anything could possibly top the production level of the Reputation tour.
As of this writing, Swift has scheduled no Canadian concerts.