Janet Jackson has shared that she doesn’t consider herself an “icon”.
The singer made the comments while accepting the Icon Award at the American Music Awards last night (May 26). There, she gave her first televised performance in seven years, singing her hits ‘Someone To Call My Lover’ and ‘All For You’.
Speaking at the awards show, Jackson said she was “honoured” and “grateful” to receive the award, and added: “No disrespect in any way, but I don’t consider myself an icon.
“My family, myself, our dream wasn’t ever to be famous. We weren’t raised like that. We always had a special love for music, dancing and singing, and fame came with the result of hard work and dedication,” she added.
“My story, my family’s story, it’s truly an American story. This would have only happened in America. The one thing that I hope for is that I’ve been an inspiration to others and artists, to follow their dreams and succeed.”
At the AMAs last night, Jennifer Lopez hosted the award show at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas in Las Vegas.
Billie Eilish swept the night by winning all seven of her nominations, including Artist of the Year, Song of the Year and Album of the Year. Though she wasn’t present at the awards, she instead sent in video speeches thanking her fans.
Alongside Jackson’s Icon Award, Zac Brown was honoured with the inaugural Veterans Voice Award, while Rod Stewart was “flabbergasted” to be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
You can read about all the winners at the AMAs here.
Meanwhile, Jackson is currently nearing the end of her Las Vegas residency, which the singer first announced last August. After a lengthy stint from December 2024 to February 2025, Jackson shared she would be extending her career-spanning Vegas performances to another run in May.
Now, Jackson has three dates left on her residency: Wednesday (28), Friday (30) and Saturday (31). You can get any remaining tickets here.
Previous to her Vegas residency, Jackson brought a huge 39-song performance to the UK and Europe last year on the ‘Together Again’ tour. Her ‘Together Again’ shows marked her first UK performance since Glastonbury 2019.
In other news, Eminem, Janet Jackson and more were snubbed for Songwriters Hall of Fame 2025.
