Janet Jackson will receive the ICON Award at the 2025 American Music Awards, which will air live from Fontainebleau Las Vegas on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26. The 11-time American Music Awards winner will also perform on the show, marking her first television performance since 2018.
There have been two previous recipients of the ICON Award: Rihanna in 2013 and Lionel Richie in 2022. The honor is bestowed upon an artist whose music has had undeniable cultural and global influence over the music industry. Jackson received a similar award, the Ultimate Icon Award, at the 2015 BET Awards.
This year’s American Music Awards will kick off summer with host Jennifer Lopez, who is also set to perform on the show. The 51st AMAs will air live coast-to-coast at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on the CBS, and stream on Paramount+ in the U.S. Tickets are available now on Ticketmaster.
Jackson, 58, has been a recording star since 1982, when her debut album was released on A&M. She has amassed 10 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and seven No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200.
She’s also set to kick off yet another leg of her popular Las Vegas residency, JANET JACKSON: LAS VEGAS, returning to the Resorts World Theatre stage on May 21 for a six-show run through May 31.
Jackson has won five Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe Award and an Oscar nomination for best original song, along with multiple MTV Video Music Awards and Billboard Music Awards.
Jackson has set many Billboard chart records over the years. Her 1986 album Control was the first by a woman to yield five top 10 hits on the Hot 100. Her 1989 album Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814 is, to this day, the only album to generate seven top five hits on the Hot 100. Her 1993 album janet tallied six top 10 hits on the Hot 100, making her the first artist to notch five or more top 10s on the Hot 100 from three different albums.
Jackson stands as one of only four artists to have a No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 in the 1980s, ’90s, ’00s and ’10s — alongside Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand and U2.
In 2019, she was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (with Janelle Monáe doing the honors), joining her brothers, The Jackson 5, who were inducted in 1997. Michael Jackson received a solo induction in 2001.
Kendrick Lamar leads this year’s American Music Awards nominations with 10 nods, followed by Post Malone with eight; and Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan and Shaboozey with seven each.
Fan voting for the 2025 American Music Awards is now open via VoteAMAs.com and the @AMAs Instagram profile in all award categories. Voting closes Thursday, May 15, at 11:59:59 p.m. PT, with the exception of collaboration of the year and social song of the year, which will remain open for web voting through the first 30 minutes of the AMAs broadcast.
The American Music Awards is the world’s largest fan-voted awards show. The show is produced by Dick Clark Productions and will broadcast globally across linear and digital platforms.
This Memorial Day, the AMAs will pay special tribute to U.S. troops and veterans.
The AMAs and Easy Day Foundation, a Las Vegas-based nonprofit organization committed to helping Veterans transition to civilian life, will partner to present several special in-show moments that celebrate veterans while raising funds for a variety of national and local organizations. The American Music Awards x Easy Day moments will include two performances and the presentation of a special award honoring a marquee talent who uses their platform to make meaningful contributions to the veteran community, as well as inspirational stories from active-duty service members and veterans.
The American Music Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.
This story originally appeared on Billboard
