2020 has “changed me a lot,” he says in a statement. “Now that I’m an artist, I feel like my voice can get heard through my music and I needed to say something. And my fans listened. So thank you to my fans and thank you to Apple Music for giving me a special way to connect to my fans.”
The streaming service handed out five awards on the night. Winners for global artist of the year, songwriter of the year, and breakthrough artist of the year were chosen by Apple Music’s global editorial team, while top song of the year and top album of the year were decided by streaming data from the platform.
Meanwhile, breakthrough artist of the year went to Megan Thee Stallion, who recently became the first woman to lead Billboard’s Rap Songwriters chart. The Houston rapper was thrilled with the Apple Music result. “This is a really big accomplishment for me,” she enthused.
Taylor Swift was back in the winners’ circle, taking out songwriter of the year for her instant classic, the Billboard 200 leader Folklore. The award represents something “really special this particular year because songwriting was the one thing that kept me connected to my fans,” Swift says in a statement. “It means a lot to me because the way that fans respond to the songs I write, and the emotional exchange, is what has really kept me going this year.”
Roddy Ricch is a two-time Apple Music Awards champion, taking out top song of the year for his Billboard Hot 100 leader “The Box,” and top album of the year for Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial. “It’s crazy making music could get me to the point where a platform like Apple could honor me or put me on a pedestal,” he said after his big night. “This is confirmation that I am on the right track and doing what I gotta do to be the greatest in my own right.”
Apple Music will shine a spotlight on this year’s success stories with a week of events, kicking off Dec. 14. The lineup will include special performances, fan events, interviews, and more, streaming worldwide on Apple Music, Apple Music TV, and the Apple TV app.