After a banner breakthrough 12 months, Gracie Abrams has won new artist of the year at the 2025 American Music Awards — and she’s giving the glory right back to the people who got her there in the first place.
After Nikki Glaser read off the “That’s So True” singer as this year’s winner at the ceremony in Las Vegas (May 26), it was revealed that Abrams could not attend in person due to her ongoing global tour. The musician did, however, share a pre-taped thank-you message, which she started by saying that she was “so sad not to be in the same room as all of you tonight” before shouting out her fellow nominees — Benson Boone, Chappell Roan, Shaboozey, Teddy Swims and Tommy Richman — “whose music and whose careers I admire so much.”
“The reason this means so much to me tonight is that I know this is a fan-voted award,” Abrams continued, looking casual as she addressed the camera in a blue sweatshirt. “This belongs to the community of people I’ve been lucky enough to learn from over the past few years of putting music out.”
“This belongs to you,” the Los Angeles native added. “Thank you so much for caring about the music.”
Abrams’ win comes nearly a year after she dropped her breakout album, The Secret of Us, which reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200. The Grammy nominee has since graduated from playing theater-sized venues to arenas, the likes of which she’s been performing in all over Europe, Asia and Australia this spring on her The Secret of Us Tour.
Her AMAs acceptance speech is far from the first time Abrams has made her fanbase the focal point of her successes. She’s long been cultivating a community with her listeners — dating back to when she simply posted snippets of her songs on Instagram before she ever even released anything — and in her April Billboard cover story, Abrams said that despite her career explosion this past year, everything “feels as connected as it did six years ago” when it comes to her relationship with her fans.
“I think the best use of me as a human being on this planet, at least right now, is trying to use my writing or storytelling to make as many people as possible feel connected to themselves and to this community,” she added at the time. “That is what I think I’m here for right now.”
Hosted this year by Jennifer Lopez, the AMAs are airing live on CBS as well as streaming on Paramount+. The night will also see stars taking home awards such as artist of the year, album of the year, song of the year and more, with Kendrick Lamar leading with 10 nominations.
Watch her speech below:
The American Music Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.
