Maria J. Blige received the Icon Award on Sunday at the Billboard Music Awards.
The R&B legend and 10-time BBMA winner is the 11th artist and 7th woman to receive an award honoring artists who have achieved excellence. advertising panel on the charts and left an indelible mark on the music.
Past Icon Award winners include Neil Diamond, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Jennifer Lopez, Celine Dion, Sherry, Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Gart Brooks and Pink.
“I’m in a dream right now,” Blige said after taking the stage, joined by BBMA presenter Sean “Big” Combs, as the crowd continued to cheer. Janet Jackson presented the award to Blaise.
Blige went on to think about what it meant to be an icon and a journey to “make it big”.
“What the icon means to me is overcoming obstacles to achieve the unimaginable and being widely admired for influencing so many people, and that’s what I’ve always stood for,” he continued. “I’ve been on this journey for a long time, which doesn’t always look like what you see now, which is filled with a lot of anguish and pain, but God has helped me bring those experiences and emotions to the surface. Music, where I started music.”
Blige went on to say that when he met her on the music scene, it was the “beginning of the movement” as “every girl in town recognized herself and could relate to everything she said”.
She also said that “every female artist who came into the game” wanted to emulate what she was doing. “I was a ghetto and I still am,” he said with a laugh. So the ghetto was so fabulous and people were threatened with it. And now everyone wants to be a ghetto fab.
Blige continued thinking about how “the message of my music has always been that we are not alone in our struggle. And now I’m not alone. I’ve been looking for true love for so long but I finally found my true love and that true love is me. Who’s running Mary J. Blitz now? Do. “
Later, Blige thanked everyone on his team, including his family, friends, Jimmy Iovin, and Dr. Dre. He ended his speech with his “phenomenal, selfless and amazing fans”.
.@maryjblige She is an icon with a successful multi-year career! Congratulations to the 2022 winner #BBMA Icon Award! #IconMJB pic.twitter.com/4tIcYUMryR
– Billboard Music Awards (@BBMAs) May 16, 2022
Before leaving the stage, Blige was presented with a montage, which also included special messages from Taraji P. De Henson, Queen Latifah and Gabriel Union.
According to Billboard, Blige has compiled four #1 albums on the Billboard 200 (Share my world, love and life, move on. s Მ Increased pain) and the number 1 single (“Family Affair”) on the Billboard Hot 100.
The show, hosted by Combs, airs live at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on NBC and Peacock.
The Billboard Music Awards ceremony is hosted by MRC Live & Alternative, a division of MRC that it co-owns. hollywood reporter Through a joint venture with Penske Media called P-MRC.
Source: Hollywood Reporter

Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.