With 12 nominations going into the MTV VMAs, Taylor Swift was sure to add to her award collection this evening. Lo and behold, she won the first award of the night: Best Collaboration for her and Post Malone’s “Fortnight.”

The singer took the stage and used her speech to recognize the greater significance of the day, September 11, honoring those who lost their lives in the 2001 terrorist attack and their loved ones.

“Waking up this morning in New York on September 11, I’ve just been thinking about what happened 23 years ago—everyone who lost a loved one and everyone that we lost,” Swift began. “And that is the most important thing about today, and everything that happens tonight falls behind that.”

She then acknowledged the award, applauding her collaborator, Post Malone. She called him “everyone in music’s favorite person” and “unfailingly polite.” She added, “It has taken me forever to get him to stop calling me ma’am.” She then turned the mic to him.

He told Swift that she is “one of the most kind and talented people I’ve ever had the honor of knowing.” He continued, “Just the amount of work and care and love that she puts into everything she does from the music video to every—I watched her tied up to the operating table thing in the music video, and she was just directing the music video from there, and it was pretty badass. I just wanted to say thank you so very much for listening, and thank you so very much, Taylor, and I love you very much.”

Read Swift’s full Best Collaboration speech below:

Guys, I wanted to say, you know, waking up this morning in New York on September 11, I’ve just been thinking about what happened 23 years ago—everyone who lost a loved one and everyone that we lost. And that is the most important thing about today, and everything that happens tonight falls behind that.

But it is so amazing to have the opportunity to thank and honor the people who worked so hard with me on this video. There is a very clear reason why Post Malone is everyone in music’s favorite person to collab with. And it is because you are so ridiculously talented. You are so versatile, and you’re the most down-to-earth person. Honestly, so unfailingly polite. It has taken me forever to get him to stop calling me ma’am.
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Swift arrived at the show with nominations for Video of the Year, Artist of the Year, Song of the Year (“Fortnight”), Best Collaboration (“Fortnight”), Song of the Summer (“Fortnight”), VMAs Most Iconic Performance (“You Belong With Me”), and Best Pop Artist. Her video for “Fortnight” was additionally up for Best Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Visual Effects, and Best Art Direction.

Swift has won the VMAs’s Video of the Year award for the last two years—and she’s the first artist to do so. She acknowledged that history in her 2023 acceptance speech.

She said, “This is unbelievable. I just wanna say that the fact that this is a fan-voted award means so much to me based on the memories that we’ve made recently. I’ve just been on a tour that is the most joyful and exhilarating experience, and we’re not even halfway done with it. It’s really felt like the adventure of a lifetime this past year. I cannot believe that it was a year ago at the VMAs that I announced the Midnights album, and all I have to say tonight is thank you. I’m blown away. Thank you so much to the fans. I love you so much.”