Taylor Swift slams Scooter Braun, defines 'toxic male privilege' during 'Billboard Woman of the Decade' speech

Taylor Swift added another feather to her hat on Thursday evening and became the first recipient of Billboard's first "Woman of the Decade" honour. However, accompanying the award was an even more powerful speech, in which the pop-star slammed the institutionalised sexism in the music industry.

The 29-year-old accepted the Billboard's first-ever "Woman of the Decade" honour from actress-radio presenter Jameela Jamil. "Absolutely love this one, right? She is so supportive, we all need someone like that" Swift said of "The Good Place" star who held the award for Swift during the speech after the singer said: "I don't want this to slip and break because it's so important to me."

The "Lover" singer did not hold herself back in the speech as she called out the blatant sexism she has faced in the industry over the last decade and slammed Scooter Braun, the buyer of her former label Big Machine, with whom she was involved in a dispute last month.

"Lately there's been a new shift that has affected me personally, and as your resident loud person, I feel like I need to bring it up. And that's the unregulated world of private equity coming in and buying up our music as if it's real estate, or an app, or a shoe line. This happened to me without my approval, consultation or consent," the Grammy-winner said, referring to the recent purchase of her back catalog by Braun and former Big Machine label head Scott Borchetta.

The "Bad Blood" hitmaker did not shy away from taking names and said: "Scooter (Braun) never contacted me or my team to discuss it prior to the sale," adding that she should have been able to purchase her catalog before them.

The singer also publicly called out the supporters of Braun present in the room and described it as "toxic male privilege. Swift said: "I'm fairly certain he knew exactly how I would feel about it, though, and let me just say that the definition of toxic male privilege in our industry is people saying "but he's always been nice to me" when I'm raising valid concerns about artists and their right to own their music. And of course he's nice to you—if you're in this room, you have something he needs."

Earlier in November, the singer had accused Braun and Borchetta of "exercising tyrannical control" over her, claiming that they are not allowing her to perform her old hits at the 2019 American Music Awards or use it in her Netflix documentary.

The singer who received "Artist of the Decade" award at the AMAs on November 24, did perform her songs after Big Machine label issued a statement saying they never stopped her from playing the records.