The build up to the American Music Awards was filled with rancor and bitterness, as Taylor Swift engaged in a very public feud with music exec Scooter Braun.
But the singer put the dispute to one side on Sunday night, instead concentrating on her triumph.
And what a triumph it was, as Taylor overtook Michael Jackson to take the record for the most AMAs won by one person – 29 to his 24.
Swift won the top award, artist of the year, and four others. She was also given an honorary artist of the decade award.
‘All that matters to me is the memories that I have had with you guys, with you the fans, over the years,’ Swift, 29, told the audience at the ceremony in Los Angeles after performing a medley of her old hits.
Swift had been expected by many to speak out about a long feud with record industry executive Scooter Braun, who owns the master recordings to her first six albums after Swift signed with a new label in 2018.
Swift accused Braun last week of refusing permission for her to sing songs from her back catalog at the awards show. The public spat culminated last week with Braun saying that his family had received numerous death threats after the pop singer urged her 122 million Instagram fans to let Braun ‘know how you feel about this.’
But on Sunday, the Fearless singer made no direction mention of the dispute, although she opened her performance wearing a white shirt printed with the тιтles of her old albums.
‘This year for me has been a lot. It’s been a lot of good, it’s been a lot of really complicated,’ she said, without elaborating. She beat Drake, Ariana Grande, Halsey and Post Malone as artist of the year.