Taylor Swift was the recipient of the grand award for special or variety at the 46th annual Gracie Awards, which took place virtually on the Alliance For Women in Media’s Facebook page on Oct. 5.
Olympian gymnast Simone Biles presented the award to Swift, which was for the star’s “Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions” concert film.
“It is given to a woman that has made contributions to media that go above and beyond, that shine a spotlight on issues, and display creativity and storytelling,” Biles said when presenting the award to Swift.
Biles also took the time to thank Swift for standing by her after this year’s Tokyo Olympics, when she withdrew from competition due to her mental health. “During the 2021 Olympics she reached out, but she also dedicated something so special to me, that I’ll never forget,” Biles said. “She’s always been so raw, open and honest, and that’s one of the many things I love about Taylor.”
While Swift accepted the award, she thanked Biles, saying: “I absolutely adore you, and that just really made my heart skip a beat.”
Lastly, the singer expressed her gratitude for her fans. “Thank you for caring about all of this, thank you for being the reason we could all come together in this way,” she said. “You made this album into what it is and you continue to blow me away all the time.”
“Folklore” was released in the midst of the pandemic on July 24, 2020, and went on to win the 2020 Grammy for album of the year, along with breaking both Spotify and Apple Music streaming records at the time.
During the award presentation, clips of the session were shown featuring Swift and collaborators Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner — with Swift explaining, “I felt that everybody needed a good cry, as well as us.”
