Taylor Swift Wins Artist of the Year at 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards, Admitting ‘I Didn’t Think I Was an Artist When I First Started’

After these wins, Taylor Swift must be feeling pretty enchanted. Swift accepted the award for Artist of the Year — as well as six other prizes — at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards on Thursday night (March 26). Olympic gold medal-winning ice skater Alysa Liu presented Swift with five of the awards, including the night’s top prize, and it was a moment of mutual admiration between the Olympian and singer.

“First of all, to receive this award from Alysa,” Swift started her speech. “You brought me so much happiness and everyone else so much happiness with your performances.” Swift then spoke about her dedication to her craft and how much she loves what she does. “I love being an artist. I love writing songs more than anything in the world,” Swift said.

“And I didn’t think I was an artist when I first started doing it. It was a hobby. It was a hobby, and then it was my favorite hobby.” The “Opalite” singer continued by speaking about what it was like being a child who enjoyed making music. She...