Lionel Richie is having a very good year. On Saturday (Nov. 5), the soul icon was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame alongside Pat Benatar, Duran Duran, Eminem, Eurythmics, Dolly Parton, and Carly Simon. Now, Richie has been tapped to receive the Icon Award at the 2022 American Music Awards.
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Richie will be honored during the AMA ceremony on Nov. 20, with organizers hailing him as “the only artist in history to be featured on the AMAs stage in every decade since the show’s inception.” Richie also is a 17-time AMA winner.
The Icon Award recognizes artists “whose body of work has marked a global influence over the music industry.” In addition to receiving the award, Richie will also get a career retrospective.
“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.”
Jesse Collins, executive producer, and showrunner of the 2022 AMAs added, “Lionel Richie has had a profound impact on countless people around the world and on the music industry as a whole. 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 honoring him with the AMAs Icon Award is a no-brainer.”
Meanwhile, Richie recently announced an extension to his “Back to Las Vegas” residency at the Wynn Las Vegas Encore Theater in 2023. Richie is also continuing his run on American Idol, currently filming his sixth season on the singing competition show.
Comedian Wayne Brady will host the 2022 AMAs on Nov. 20. Carrie Underwood, Imagine Dragons, P!nk, Tems, Wizkid, and Yola will take the stage at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles. The show will air live at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and stream the next day on Hulu.
Lionel Richie (Photo: ASCAP)
