Machine Gun Kelly Wins ‘Favorite Rock Artist’ at 2021 AMAs, Says Age of Rock Star ‘Looks Pretty Alive to Me’
Machine Gun Kelly took home the award for 'Favorite Rock Artist' at the annual American Music Awards last night (Nov. 21) and, during his acceptance speech, he took the opportunity to reject the notion that the age of the rock star is dead and said that it "looks pretty alive to me."
The rapper-turned-rocker has been riding high since the release of his chart-topping album, Tickets to My Downfall, which was released in September of last year and has already achieved platinum status in the United States. Now, he has an AMA trophy to add to his growing list of achievements, having beat out Foo Fighters, All Time Low, AJR and Glass Animals for this year's award.
As he took the podium, MGK first had to make a slight onstage adjustment and hoisted the microphone stand in the air and closer to his mouth after attempting to lower himself by crouching down to meet the microphone's undesirable level.
With that issue squared away, he said, "Before I accept this award I just want to say that this one actually wasn't going to be televised, but my fans spoke very loudly, so I want to give them their credit. I want to accept this for all the aspiring musicians — the one who desires to play an instrument, wants to rap, rants to sing.. not just the rock artists, but all the artist who are rock stars."
MGK then took a jab at anyone who believes the concept of a rock star is something that lies firmly in the past. "Lastly, I just want to say this," he remarked, "I read a headline that says the age of the rock star is dead, but [it] looks pretty alive to me," and walked off with his trophy in-hand.
The claim that rock, as a genre, is dead is one that has largely been perpetuated by KISS legend Gene Simmons in recent years, though with plenty of newer artists leading the charge for rock and Machine Gun Kelly's continued success, many are proving these claims wrong.
Watch MGK's full acceptance speech at the bottom of the page and see photos of the rocker at the American Music Awards ceremony with daughter, Casie, in the Instagram slideshow directly below.
For the complete list of 2021 American Music Award winners, head here.