Lionel Richie will be honoured with the Icon Award at the 2022 American Music Awards later this month.
Lionel will be awarded the honorary prize in recognition of the “global influence” his music has had over the years.
“I’m immensely grateful for a career that has taken me to places I never imagined that I’d go, from arenas worldwide to studio sets to the AMA stage,” Richie said in a statement. “I can recall one of the first times I got to perform at the AMAs. It was to sing We Are the World among the most iconic musicians of my generation, so it is surreal to be receiving this recognition 36 years later.”
Richie will also take to the stage at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles to look back at his biggest hits, making him the first and only artist to be featured on the awards show’s stage in every decade since it began in 1974. The prize will be his 18th AMA.
“Lionel Richie has had a profound impact on countless people around the world and on the music industry as a whole,” executive producer and showrunner Jesse Collins praised. “From the millions of dollars raised due to We Are the World to the global influence his unique sound still has today, Richie is the definition of a living legend and honouring him with the AMAs Icon Award is a no-brainer.”
The announcement comes just days after Richie was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday.
The 2022 American Music Awards, hosted by Wayne Brady, will take place on 20 November. The ceremony will feature performances by Pink, Carrie Underwood, Imagine Dragons, J.I.D., Tems, Wizkid, and Yola.
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