Taylor Swift Graciously Collects CMT 2011 Artist of the Year Award After Banner Year

Taylor Swift is as strong of a force in country music as she is in the pop world, so it's no surprise that she was chosen as one of just five to be honored at CMT's 2011 'Artists of the Year' event, which aired Tuesday night. What is a surprise, however, is how after countless awards, the 'Ours' songstress can maintain such grace and gratitude in her acceptance speeches.

Swift's country peers Lady Antebellum gave her the highest praises, citing her as someone who "totally revolutionized and brought the entire world to listen to the kind of music that comes out of Nashville, Tennessee," calling her "a spectacular role model" and saying that if this were a race, she would finish first every time.

Faith Hill, one of country music's most famous women, referred to Taylor as a "hopeless romantic," which made the 'Love Story' singer blush in her red dress and matching lipstick. When it was time to collect her trophy, Taylor spoke about her banner year in her own words and called her 2011 Speak Now Tour "magical" -- noting especially how awesome it was to be able to call up her favorite artists, like Nicki Minaj and Justin Bieber to come perform with her on a whim.

She promised that 2012 would bring a new record, which she said she has been working on furiously as of late. "I just can't wait for people to hear new music," she said. "And hopefully it will be good. Hopefully."

Before CMT pulled the plug on Taylor Swift's segment, Katy Perry popped up on the big screen, anxious to say a few words to her close friend. "I love that you wrote every lyric and every single note off of 'Speak Now,' that says tons about you as an artist," Perry noted. "You're really aspiring."

At the end, she added simply, "I still want your cat."