Global, generational superstar Janet Jackson will be honored with the ICON Award at the 2025 American Music Awards (AMAs).
The prestigious award, which tallies Jackson’s 12th AMA, honors “an artist whose music has had undeniable cultural and global influence over the music industry.”
Not only will Jackson accept the award, but she will also perform. “Thank you so much, AMAs!! It’s an honor. We look forward to being on your stage again,” Jackson wrote in an Instagram post.
The 2025 American Music Awards, hosted by Jennifer Lopez, airs live from Fontainebleau Las Vegas on Monday, May 26, at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+.
According to the AMAs, winners are determined by fan votes. “Nominees are based on key fan interactions – as reflected on the Billboard charts – including streaming, album and song sales, radio airplay and tour grosses. These measurements are tracked by Billboard and Luminate, the entertainment industry’s most trusted data partner, and cover the data tracking eligibility period of March 22, 2024, through March 20, 2025.”
SZA is the most-nominated R&B singer with six nods, including Artist of the Year and Favorite Female R&B Artist. Meanwhile, The Weeknd is nominated in four categories, while Beyoncé and PARTYNEXTDOOR Share three nods each.
Rapper Kendrick Lamar leads the pack across all artists with 10 nominations, including Album of the Year and Song of the Year (“Not Like Us”).
Before Jackson accepts the ICON Award, she will launch the spring leg of her Las Vegas residency, Janet Jackson: Las Vegas, at Resorts World Theatre on May 21. She will perform six shows through May 31.
Jackson’s ICON Award will join her ongoing list of accolades, including five Grammy Awards, two Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award and dozens of American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards and MTV Video Music Awards.
Jackson, who has sold over 180 million records worldwide, has been seeing a resurgence of her 2001 hit “Someone To Call My Lover” after a viral boost on social media apps such as TikTok. She co-produced the joyful anthem, which appears on All For You, with longtime collaborators Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
Most recently, the song soared to No. 3 on Billboard’s R&B Digital Song Sales chart and has achieved a 1,400% increase in year-to-date U.S. on-demand streams, per Luminate. “Someone To Call My Lover” previously peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100 in September 2001.
See the full list of 2025 AMAs nominees at theamas.com.
