It was Chappell Roan's night. The femininomenon herself finally won her first major industry award Wednesday at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards.

"I dedicate this to all the drag artists who inspire me," she said after taking the stage to accept her Best New Artist award. "I dedicate this to the queer and trans people that fuel pop, to the gays 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 when I share my joy and my fears. Thank you for listening."

Roan read that portion of her speech out of a physical diary she brought on stage. Then, seemingly off the cuff, she added, "For all the queer kids in the Midwest watching right now — I see you, I understand you, because I'm one of you. Don't ever let anyone tell you that you can't be exactly who you wanna be."

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Roan was thought by many to be favored to take home Best New Artist, one of two awards she was up for during the ceremony, along with the MTV Push Performance of the Year for "Red Wine Supernova."

This award cements the stratospheric ascent Roan has made over the course of the past year from "your favorite artist's favorite artist" to the best new artist. She faced steep competition from Benson Boone, Gracie Abrams, Shaboozey, Teddy Swims, and Tyla. All of the nominees except for Abrams attended the ceremony, but only Boone, Swims, and Roan gave performances.

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Roan also secured one of the night's viral moments when she snapped at a photographer who screamed obscenities while she walked the red carpet. "Shut the f--- up," he could be heard yelling from the press area, prompting Roan to break away from a touch up with her stylist and reply, "You shut the f--- up," and add, "Don't. Not me, b----."

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Though Roan was coronated the industry's best new artist tonight, she was quick to point out that artists such as herself and Sabrina Carpenter, another honoree tonight, have been working for years to be deemed overnight successes. "Me and Sabrina, we've been doing this for a decade" she said in a red carpet interview with ET. "It just takes this long to lift up."

The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, the studio album for which Roan has been receiving so much love, released in Nov. 23. After a star-making turn at NPR's Tiny Desk in March and the release of the single "Good Luck, Babe!" in April, Roan has since gone on to release four Billboard-charting songs and over 70 million streams.