Chappell Roan is accepting her first-ever MTV Video Music Award in full steam. Following a stellar performance of “Good Luck, Babe!” at the 2024 awards ceremony, the 26-year-old pop star won Best New Artist on Wednesday night (September 11), a moment she dedicated to all the people in the LGBTQ+ community who continually push her to new heights.

“Can you believe it? We’re at the VMAs!” Roan cheered after accepting her Moon Person from Tinashe, covering her face in disbelief as fans at New York’s UBS Arena applauded.

“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,” she continued, reading from a small journal she brought onstage with her. “To the gay people who dedicate my songs to someone they love or hate… to all the queer kids in the Midwest watching right now: I see you. I understand you, because I am one of you.”

After thanking her label, Island Records, Roan – who wore a medieval knight-style chainmail hood to match her Joan of Arc theme for the evening – left the crowd with one final message: “Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t be exactly the person you want to be, bitch,” she said with a grin.

The 2024 VMAs took place at the UBS Arena and were hosted by Megan Thee Stallion. Eminem opened the show, Vanguard Award winner Katy Perry performed a medley of her hits from across her career, and everyone from Lenny Kravitz to Halsey, Camila Cabello, Shawn Mendes and Rauw Alejandro delivered performances.

In addition to the award for Best New Artist, where Roan beat out Tyla and Gracie Abrams, the Missouri native was also nominated for MTV Push Performance of the Year. The rise and fall of a Midwestern princess‘ the fan-favorite song “Red Wine Supernova.” Taylor Swift led the nominations with 12 total, followed by her “Fortnight” collaborator Post Malone with 11.

Before accepting her Moon Person award, Roan heated up the stage with a fiery performance of her hit single “Good Luck, Babe!” Clad in armor, the singer set a castle on fire with a flaming crossbow without missing a single note of the song, which reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August.