Taylor Swift becomes first female to receive BRITs Global Icon Award

Taylor Swift isn’t done conquering the world!

The Grammy award-winning singer won the Global Icon award at the 2021 BRIT Awards, becoming the very first female to receive the ceremony’s highest honors.

Aside from being the first female, Swift is also the youngest and the first non-English artist to win the prestigious prize.

During her acceptance speech, the “Folklore” singer thanked all her fans, colleagues, friends and family who continued to believe in her and knew who she really was no matter what.

Addressing the young artists and anyone who had dreams for themselves, Swift said, “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 that you're doing something new. If you're experiencing turbulence or pressure, that probably means you're rising. And there might be times when you put your whole heart and soul into something, and if it is met with cynicism or skepticism, you cannot let that crush you, you have to let it fuel you.”

She added: “We live in a world where anyone has the right to say anything that they want about you at any time, but just please remember that you have the right to prove them wrong.”

According to a PEOPLE report, the only other artists to take home the Global Icon Award were Elton John in 2014, David Bowie in 2016, and Robbie Williams in 2017.

The prestigious award recognizes artists’ “immense impact on music across the world and incredible repertoire and achievements to date.”

Along with the Global Icon Award win, Swift was also nominated for the International Female Artist award.

The singer had been nominated for the BRIT Awards seven times, and won the International Female Solo Artist Award in 2015.

Before winning the BRIT Awards’ highest honor, Swift won album of the year at the Grammy Awards in March for “Folklore.” – Kaela Malig/RC, GMA News