"Last night I was given the Vanguard award from GLAAD and one of my best friends presented it to me with words that totally made me cry," Lovato said on Instagram Sunday. "That friend is my brother @nickjonas and I'm so thankful for our friendship. Love you and thanks for last night."

In her acceptance speech, Lovato also paid tribute to her boyfriend, who did not attend the ceremony. He is currently filming the CBS military drama Four Stars. 

"Last but not least, I want to say thank you to my love that can't be here tonight," she said. "I'm just extremely proud of him but his name is Wilmer Valderrama and I'm so proud to be his girlfriend."

During her speech, Lovato also said she is "so excited for the future" and wants "to be a voice to my generation."

"You are!" an audience member shouted, drawing applause.

"I always knew that if I ever made it as a singer, that I needed to use my voice for so much more than just singing," Lovato continued. "And this award means so much to me, more than music, any music award, because this is the real stuff. "