Chappell Roan has won the career-defining VMA for Best New Artist. She joins legendary previous winners including Nirvana, Eminem, Olivia Rodrigo and Billie Eilish.

“Can you believe it? We’re at the VMAs. I’m going to read from here, I wrote a speech for my diary,” Roan said at the beginning of her speech. She thanked MTV, her friends and family, her team and her label, Island Records. The dedications that followed were met with cheers from inside UBS Arena on Long Island and probably more than a few at home as well.

“I dedicate this to all the drag artists who inspire me, and I dedicate this to the queer and trans people who fuel pop music,” Roan said with a big smile. “To the queer people who dedicate my songs to someone they love or hate. And thank you to the people who are fans, who listen to me, who hear me share my joys and my fears. Thank you for listening.”

She added in closing, “And to all the queer kids in the Midwest watching right now, I see you. I get you, ’cause I’m one of you. And don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t be exactly who you want to be, bitch.”

Roan took the stage in a chain-link dress, continuing the medieval theme she started earlier in the evening when she walked down the red carpet with a sword and set a castle on fire during her performance of “Good Luck, Babe!”.

This year has been huge for Roan, and winning the Best New Artist award is just her latest accomplishment. Since the release of “Good Luck, Babe!,” Roan has “experienced the kind of rise that makes words like ‘meteorized’ feel outdated,” as Brittany Spanos put it in her recent Rolling Stone cover story with the pop star. Roan was also nominated for Song of the Summer and Best Trending Video for her video “HOT TO GO!”, which features the popular dance synonymous with the song. The singer joins 28 other nominees for the inaugural VMA, including artists she competed against in the Best New Artists category. This is her first MTV Video Music Award.

This year’s Best New Artist category was star-studded, including Benson Boone, Shaboozey, Teddy Swims and finalists Gracie Abrams and Tyla. Last year, Ice Spice won the VMA for Best New Artist.