Jennifer Lopez's American Music Awards History: From New Kids on the Block Backup Dancer to Two-Time Host

Yahoo

21-05-2025

If it seems as if Jennifer Lopez has been a part of the American Music Awards for decades, well, she has.
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Lopez was just 21 in 1991 when she made her AMAs debut as a dancer behind New Kids on the Block. She first performed on the show as a star attraction in 2001. She first hosted the show in 2015. On Monday (May 26, Memorial Day), she will host again, becoming just the fourth music star to solo-host the AMAs twice, following Lionel Richie (1984-85), Diana Ross (1986-87) and Pitbull (2013-14).
Lopez is also set to perform on this year's show, along with Janet Jackson (who is set to receive the ICON Award), Rod Stewart (who is set to receive a lifetime achievement award), Benson Boone, Blake Shelton, Gloria Estefan, Gwen Stefani, Lainey Wilson and Reneé Rapp.
This year's show will be held at Fontainebleau Las Vegas, marking the first time the show has been held outside the Los Angeles area. It's the first regular AMAs broadcast since November 2022, and will mark the first regular AMAs broadcast on CBS. The show aired on ABC from 1974-2022.
Over the years, Lopez has performed on the AMAs in tandem with such diverse artists as Pitbull, will.i.am, Iggy Azalea and Maluma. Once, she performed three songs associated with Latin music legend Celia Cruz. Another time, she performed a dance medley of the previous year's biggest hits.
Here's a recap of Lopez's 10 previous American Music Awards performances.
The American Music Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.
Date of Show: Jan. 28, 1991
Notes: Lopez performed behind New Kids, who sang 'Games,' their hard-edged rebuke to their detractors. With this single, the group changed its name to NKOTB in an effort to distance itself from its lightweight teen image. Flavor Flav joined them for the AMAs performance. J.Lo was a member of the dance troupe The Fly Girls on In Living Color at the time. In Living Colour star Keenen Ivory Wayans hosted the AMAs that year.Date of Show: Jan. 8, 2001
Notes: Ten years later, Lopez was back on the AMAs, but this time she was out front, in the star position. She opened the telecast with an elaborate production number built around 'Love Don't Cost a Thing,' the lead single from her sophomore album J.Lo. The sequence opens with a bit of 'Thank Heavens for Little Girls,' the French-sounding trifle from Gigi. Performing under a replica of the base of the Eiffel Tower, Lopez showcased tight dance moves and a very toned midsection. At the end of her performance, she broke into a smile. She knew she had done what she came to do. 'Love Don't Cost a Thing' reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. J.Lo became her first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200.Date of Show: Nov. 22, 2009
Notes: Lopez momentarily fell in the middle of her elaborately staged AMAs performance of 'Louboutins,' but she recovered so quickly that many viewers probably didn't even notice. The song was introduced as being from J.Lo's upcoming album Love? When that album finally appeared in 2011, this non-hit was nowhere to be found. 'Louboutins' was J.Lo's last release for Epic Records. She resurfaced two years later on Island Records with the hit 'On the Floor.'Date of Show: Nov. 20, 2011
Notes: J.Lo had two performance spots on the show. In the first, she performed a medley consisting of 'Until It Beats No More,' 'Papi' and 'On the Floor,' the latter featuring Pitbull; in the second, she performed 'T.H.E. (The Hardest Ever)' with will.i.am.
The first spot opened with Lopez wearing a full gown and singing a dramatic ballad. It was much closer to Adele than J.Lo. It was also an elaborate fake-out. About 30 seconds in, she looked directly at the camera, smiled, ditched the gown and switched to a more suitable song. (Even more clothes came off before she ended the spot with 'On the Floor.')
'On the Floor' reached No. 3 on the Hot 100 in May 2011, becoming J.Lo's 10th and most recent top 10 hit. will.i.am's 'T.H.E. (The Hardest Ever),' featuring Mick Jagger and J.Lo, reached No. 36 in 2011. Jagger, who, like Lopez, has long been famous for his stage moves, did not appear on the AMAs, but the producers laid in video of him performing another song over his vocal parts.
Date of Show: Nov. 24, 2013
Notes: In tribute to the Cuban-born Queen of Salsa, who had died 10 years earlier at age 77, Lopez performed 'Químbara,' 'Carnaval' and 'Bemba Colorá.' Lopez was elegantly dressed and coiffed as the performance began. The gown had come off and the hair had come down by the end. This performance, in which she paid tribute to her Latin culture, was one of her most effective.Date of Show: Nov. 23, 2014
Notes: The two singers closed the show with this carnal celebration. Best moment: A dancer shows J.Lo a smartphone with a call coming in. She glances at it and dismisses it by saying, 'Booty call.' Azalea had topped the Hot 100 earlier in the year with 'Fancy,' her collab with Charli xcx. 'Booty,' which reached No. 18 on the Hot 100, was featured on Lopez's album A.K.A., her eighth album to make the top 10 on the Billboard 200.Date of Show: Nov. 22, 2015
Notes: Lopez performed her 1999 smash 'Waiting for Tonight' (which was her second top 10 hit on the Hot 100) and then dramatically stopped and said 'Wait! Don't clap. Tonight is not about me. Tonight is about the music – and this year's music made me want to dance.' She then danced to a medley of 'Uptown Funk,' 'Anaconda,' '7/11,' 'Feeling Myself,' 'The Hills,' 'Can't Feel My Face,' 'Girl Crush,' 'Bad Blood,' 'Trap Queen,' 'Hotline Bling,' 'Thinking Out Loud,' 'Love More,' 'Where Are Ü Now' and 'Bitch Better Have My Money.' The producers sprinkled in reaction shots from a few of the performers whose songs were included, namely Nicki Minaj, The Weeknd, Little Big Town and Justin Bieber.Date of Show: Oct. 9, 2018
Notes: This power ballad was from the film in which Lopez starred, alongside Leah Remini, Vanessa Hudgens, Treat Williams and Milo Ventimiglia. Lopez also served as a producer on the film, which had the motivational tag line, 'The only thing stopping you…is you.'Date of Show: Nov. 22, 2020
Notes: J.Lo was joined by Colombian star Maluma for this bilingual performance of 'Pa'Ti' and 'Lonely.' 'Pa' Ti,' which translates to 'For You,' was later featured in J.Lo's pandemic-delayed 2022 film Marry Me, in which Maluma co-starred. 'Lonely' didn't make the cut.Date of Show: Nov. 21, 2021
Notes: Lopez performed this ballad, which gains in tempo as it proceeds, backed by scenes from the film, in which she starred with Owen Wilson, Maluma, John Bradley, Chloe Coleman and Sarah Silverman. Lopez also served as a producer of the film.Best of Billboard
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