The iHeartRadio Music Awards are going down tonight at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, and the nominees include familiar favorites such as Taylor Swift, Doja Cat, Harry Styles, Jack Harlow, Lizzo, Lil Nas X, Justin Bieber, and Latto, among others. Also on the docket is Phoebe Bridgers, who was on hand to present Swift with the iHeartRadio Innovator Award.
Prior to accepting the Innovator Award, the ceremony aired a celeb-packed montage video in Swift’s honor, with Dolly Parton, Justin Timberlake, Selena Gomez, Simu Liu, Miles Teller, Jonathan Van Ness, Ice Spice, Ed Sheeran, and more singing her praises. Then as she accepted the Innovator Award, Swift walked onstage and gave Bridgers a giant hug. “I love you, Phoebe… OK, I’m really flattered by this award, so thank you so much to iHeart for giving this to me…”
Swift went on to point out that she never intentionally sought to “innovate stuff,” but what she did do is take chances on ideas where there was no “industry data” proving that those ideas already worked. “I never a single time woke up in the morning and thought, ‘What am I gonna do today? Gonna go innovate some stuff. Things need to be innovated, and I’m gonna be the one that does it,’” Swift joked. “But what I did do is try to make the right decision for me at the time, whether or not it had ever been successfully done before. I think maybe that might be the key.”
While walking the iHeart red carpet, Bridgers spoke highly of her friend and collaborator: “She means the world to me. I think that’s she’s such an integral part of everyone’s life; everyone feels like they have a personal relationship with her. She rocks. She’s the best.”
Bridgers, of course, is opening for Swift on the Eras tour starting in May, and will be with her for 12 stops. Bridgers is also releasing a new boygenius album, the record, with Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker, this Friday. That album happens to include a song called “We’re In Love,” which references Taylor’s recently re-recorded “This Love.”
Watch Bridgers present the iHeartRadio Innovator Award to Swift, and watch Swift’s acceptance speech below.