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Taylor Swift - Source: Reuters -
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Teenage singing sensation Taylor Swift claimed a piece of music
history when she became the youngest artist ever to win the coveted
title of Entertainer of the Year at the Country Music Awards.
Swift, 19, also claimed awards for Female Vocalist of the Year,
Music Video of the Year for her song Love Story and Album of the
Year with Fearless.
"I'll never forget this moment because at this moment everything
that I ever wanted has just happened to me," a tearful Swift said
when accepting her award.
The fan favorite also had some fun at the expense of rap star Kanye
West, who last month interrupted her acceptance speech at the MTV
Music Video Awards by rushing onto the stage and telling the
audience that R&B star Beyonce - and not Swift - should have
won best female video.
"I want to thank every single person here tonight for not running
up on stage during this speech," Swift said when picking up her
trophy for female vocalist.
After the show, Swift told reporters she would always be grateful.
"I feel so lucky. This has been a fun night," she said.
She won Entertainer of the Year over some of the biggest names in
country music, including Kenny Chesney, who had claimed the honor
for three straight years heading into Wednesday's ceremony in the
capitol of country, Nashville.
The Country Music Awards are one of the year's top honors for
county and western singers.
In other awards, Darius Rucker, frontman for pop band Hootie and
the Blowfish, was given the CMA's New Artist of the Year award for
his first country album, Learn to Live, which has sold over one
million copies.
Rucker performed his song Alright, running into the audience as he
sang, and backstage he talked to reporters about being only the
second African American to win a major individual CMA award. The
first was Charley Pride.
"I'm proud to be that guy who picked up where Charley left off,"
Rucker said, "But I'm a musician. I want to sing and all that other
stuff is for you guys to talk about."
Last year's winner of the New Artist award, the trio Lady
Antebellum, picked up two CMA awards this time around, best Vocal
Group and Single of the Year for I Run To You.
Singer Brad Paisley also claimed two awards for Male Vocalist of
the Year and Musical Event of the Year for his Start A Band duet
with Keith Urban.
Sugarland took home their third consecutive Vocal Duo of the Year
award, and Song of the Year honors went to In Color, written by
Jamey Johnson, Lee Thomas Miller and James Otto.
