Prime Highlights

• Janet Jackson accepts 2025 Icon Award at American Music Awards, her first on-TV performance in seven years.
• 59-year-old icon took control of the AMAs stage with a set of pre-2000s anthems at Fontainebleau Las Vegas.

Key Facts

• Janet Jackson’s comeback drama featured “Someone to Call My Lover” and “All for You” among a sophisticated, high-intensity show.
• In her energetic address, she attributed love of art and family values to passion rather than fame and inspired potential artists.

Key Background

Janet Jackson received the Icon Award during the 2025 American Music Awards, a milestone in her life that acknowledged her four-decade career in pop, R&B, and dance music. It was also her first live TV appearance on the AMAs stage since 2018 and one that she gained the respect of her longtime as well as newer fans. Her performance, a throwback medley of her crossover early 2000s album hits “Someone to Call My Lover” and “All for You,” brought some much-needed fresh energy to the AMAs stage and reminded everyone of her unbeatable showmanship.

Wearing stylish, contemporary attire—a cropped white jacket, baggy jeans, and signature white headband—Jackson dominated the stage with her own trademark poise and charisma. At 59, music legend took to the stage with dancers and live band, providing the energy and exactness that have been the hallmark of her career for more than forty years.

While reading her acceptance speech, Tasha Smith described how Jackson expressed sincere thanks, modestly stating that she had never thought of herself as an icon. She discussed how music runs in the family and a passion for music inspired her not as a pursuit of stardom. Her speech, presented sincerely and humble, was a lesson of hope as an inspiration to aspiring artists who yearn for authenticity and perseverance.

The 2025 AMAs were a triumphant return for the telecast itself after premiering for two consecutive years. Otherstood highlights included, naturally, Jackson’s record-breaking award and Billie Eilish taking home Artist of the Year and Rod Stewart being awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award. Janet Jackson’s return was what brought the evening back to life, however—the intersection of legacy, of perseverance, and of enduring artistry. Her comeback vindicated the enduring popularity of idols within a changing musical terrain and cemented her status as a great entertainer of all time.

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