Taylor Swift won a Milestone Award at the Academy of Country Music Awards Sunday night, and she had someone very special to introduce her: her mother.
Andrea Finlay, who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, gave an emotional speech as she introduced her daughter.
“I’ve watched this milestone artist from the time she was a tangled hair little girl growing up on our farm, full of imagination and creativity,” Swift’s mother told the audience that filled the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
“I’d like to thank the ACMs for honoring her in this way. But I’d also like to thank the entire music community for taking such good care of her. And [to] the fans, I know you love her as I love her, And for that I thank you eternally.”
“I’m a proud mom.”
Swift, who stepped away from country music in August 2014, also thanked the country music community.
“Somebody once told me that you truly see who a person is when you tell them something they don’t want to hear. You truly see who a person is when you give them news that they weren’t expecting,” Swift said.
“And so to the country music community, when I told you that I had made a pop album and that I wanted to go explore other genres, you showed me who you are with the grace you accepted that with. I will never forget it.”
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