The winner of the category was announced at a ceremony ahead of the televised show. While walking the red carpet shortly after, Machine Gun Kelly expressed how he was feeling and reflected on his journey.
“I’m always pretty uncomfortable here,” he told Laverne Cox on Live From E! about attending these events. “Ultimately, I’m really happy to be in the company of such great musicians. I didn’t take the category home, and I almost feel like I asked for that lesson. Like, I felt like I lacked self-love, and I was valuing myself so much on career accomplishments that I needed this. The car ride here was very cathartic for me….I need to appreciate what I already have, and once that self-love happens for me, things like the awards and all that will come.”
And Machine Gun Kelly realized the real prize is getting to do what he loves. As the 32-year-old put it, “When the art is yours, you already won.”
“I know the world will never forget the young man with the pink guitar,” he added. “I feel more at peace now than I think I ever have in my life. And I had a car ride here to contemplate and just experience gratitude that I don’t know I ever felt before. I always have so much attitude and I needed gratitude.”