The singer, introduced by comedian Bill Maher, who called her “the voice of our generation,” first thrilled fans with her performance of “Diamonds” before walking over to Maher for the award which opened with a video introduction by none other than label boss, Jay Z.
She was then presented with the actual award by her Guyana-born mom, Monica Braithwaite who began her remarks by giving “praise and honor” to “God Almighty” before lauding her daughter for being “strong, so positive, so humble and so focused.”
“Rihanna, I’m so proud of you tonight. I know the journey and your career has not always been an easy one, but tonight I applaud and admire you for being so strong and so positive and so humble and so focused. And I mean, it’s amazing how you always manage to take good from all your experiences. I’m so pleased to be a part of this historic moment and I just want to say I’m proud to present to you the first ever AMA Icon Award.,” she said before handing over the award to a visibly emotional RiRi.
Rihanna for her part thanked her family, her friends, her brother and her glam team, while adding she was “terrible at giving speeches.”
Then she proceeded to give those gathered and those watching a background to her humble road to the award, beginning with what she called her “husky man voice” that she used to sing out loud much to the annoyance of her mother and the neighbors on
Westbury Road, Barbados.
She went on to thank everyone, including Jay and L.A. Reid, before then adding in her fans, the Rihanna Army.
“You keep me driven, you keep this special,” she said of the fans. “I can’t believe that at 25 years old, I’m holding an Icon Award.” While she was getting the cue to wrap it up, she said, “If you know me, you know that I love you and that I thank you and that I’m grateful.”
“It’s weird to think at 25 I’m holding an icon award,” she added.
AMA’S WINNERS
The night also saw several artists taking home top awards including:
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Taylor Swift
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY KOHL’S
Ariana Grande
SINGLE OF THE YEAR
Florida Georgia Line Featuring Nelly, “Cruise”
FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – POP/ROCK
Justin Timberlake
FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – POP/ROCK
Taylor Swift
FAVORITE BAND, DUO OR GROUP – POP/ROCK
One Direction
FAVORITE ALBUM – POP/ROCK
One Direction, “Take Me Home”
FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – COUNTRY
Luke Bryan
FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – COUNTRY
Taylor Swift
FAVORITE BAND, DUO or GROUP – COUNTRY
Lady Antebellum
FAVORITE ALBUM – COUNTRY
Taylor Swift, “Red”
FAVORITE ARTIST – RAP/HIP-HOP
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
FAVORITE ALBUM – RAP/HIP-HOP
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, “The Heist”
FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – SOUL/R&B
Justin Timberlake
FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – SOUL/R&B
Rihanna
FAVORITE ALBUM – SOUL/R&B
Justin Timberlake, “The 20/20 Experience”
FAVORITE ARTIST – ALTERNATIVE ROCK
Imagine Dragons
FAVORITE ARTIST – LATIN
Marc Anthony
FAVORITE ARTIST – ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC (EDM)
Avicii
FAVORITE ARTIST – ADULT CONTEMPORARY
Maroon 5
FAVORITE ARTIST – CONTEMPORARY INSPIRATIONAL
Matthew West
TOP SOUNDTRACK
“Pitch Perfect”
PERFORMERS
Performers were a plenty at the AMA’s including Katy Perry, One Direction, Imagine Dragons, Pitbull and Ke$ha, Justin Timberlake, Florida Georgia Line and Nelly, Jennifer Lopez, Kendrick Lamar, Luke Bryan, TLC and A Great Big World with Christina Aguilera.
Lady Gaga who began her performance by answering a series of phone calls, the last one being from R. Kelly, or “President Kelly,” as Gaga called him. They then performed their hit song, “Do What U Want,” with a backdrop that was supposed to be the White House. R. Kelly played the president, with Gaga as his mistress.
Miley Cyrus helped closed out the show with “Wrecking Ball,” which will likely become yet another talked-about performance. She stepped out in a bikini-like get-up filled with images of cats, accompanied by massive earrings and bracelets. The kitty theme continued when an image of a cat appeared on the screen throughout the entire song, making for an odd set.
