Latest news with #GloriaEstefan
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2 hours ago
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What Lester Holt told Tom Llamas before handing over 'NBC Nightly News'
Tom Llamas first stepped into NBC's Rockefeller Center headquarters in 2000 as a fresh-faced intern. On Monday, he becomes part of television news history as the fifth anchor of "NBC Nightly News" and the first Latino journalist to helm a daily English-language network evening newscast (one of his mentors, Jose Diaz-Balart, handles the Saturday edition of "Nightly"). Llamas, 45, takes over for Lester Holt, who will move full time to NBC's "Dateline" after a 10-year run in the anchor chair. Llamas will remain the anchor of "Top Story," a live, hourlong newscast on the network's free streaming platform NBC News Now. The son of Cuban immigrants, Llamas grew up in Miami, where he continues to have strong ties (pop superstar Gloria Estefan and "Sabado Gigante" host Don Francisco attended a party in Florida to celebrate his promotion). He lives in Westchester County, N.Y., with his wife, Jennifer, three children aged 12, nine and seven, and a dedicated room for his vinyl record collection built from a decade of crate-digging while traveling around the world on assignment. He recently spoke with The Times about his new role. You've known Lester Holt since you were a 21-year-old production assistant at NBC News. What advice did he give you for your new role? He's been married to this job. And so I asked him about that, because my kids have always known me as a network correspondent and a network anchor. But he told me, "Your life is going to change." And he explained to me that everyone's going to want a piece of you and there's going to be a lot of demands, even more than you've ever experienced. And he's been right about that. He said, "You have to make the right decisions when it comes to your career and your family." My wife and my kids have known that sometimes I'll be at a little league game or I'll be at a school play, and I have to run and jump on a plane because there's breaking news. And they understand that their dad does that. But we always have conversations about it. And it's tough. Do your children watch 'NBC Nightly News" and 'Top Story"? Oh yeah. I had my 7-year-old explaining the election to his classmates. He was walking them through when President Biden stepped down and Kamala Harris took over the nomination. Sometimes it's tough. They were watching that night during Hurricane Milton last summer when a transformer exploded over my head, and that is a little scary. There were some text messages and calls to me quickly. Sometimes they watch a little too much and we have to turn it off. But they are very plugged-in; they know the world around them. It's just the same way I was raised. We watched news in English and Spanish as far back as I can remember. Because my parents were always searching for news out of Cuba. What are your early news viewing memories? I can really remember any time Fidel Castro was going to be interviewed. It was always a major moment, right? I remember my parents watching the interview and then deciding if it was a fair interview or not and having an open conversation about that. So I'm hearing about conversations of fairness my entire life. And I see what it means and how viewers react to that. Did that inspire you to go into the profession? I don't know if it was an inspiration as much as it was a testament of how important the news is. It's just that my family relied on the news. They wanted to know what was happening in their home country. They wanted to know what was happening in America. And they listened, and they trust these people. Read more: The network evening news is in flux: Why an American TV institution is under pressure What made the powers that be decide that you should keep doing "Top Story" while doing "Nightly"? It was actually my idea. Right now, in this country, you've got to be everywhere. And I didn't want to lose what we've established for three and a half years. We just got nominated for an Emmy up against amazing legacy shows like "Nightly News," "ABC World News Tonight" and the "CBS Evening News." To be in that circle with a streaming show that is three years old, that's been one of the greatest achievements of my career. Because this was a startup. And a lot of people said we couldn't do this, and we have. President Trump basically declared war on diversity, equity and inclusion policies. [The Federal Communications Commission has called for an investigation into NBC's parent firm Comcast for what it describes as "DEI discrimination."] Has that muted the achievement of being the first Latino to anchor an English-speaking nightly newscast? I don't think I got this job because I'm Hispanic; I think I got this job because I'm the best person for the job. And I know that's what NBC believes, too. My life story is something I'm very proud of. [My parents] essentially came to this country with nothing. They had no money, they barely spoke the language, and this incredible country gave them a second chance. It gave them a new home. And they taught me hard work, but they also taught me to love this country. And I do, I think this is the greatest place in the world, hands down. To become the anchor of "Nightly News" tells me that the American dream is still very alive. You're from the streaming music generation, but you have a vinyl record collection. How did that happen? Ten or 12 years ago, I went to my friend's house in Los Angeles and he has a record player. I think he played "Sticky Fingers" from the Rolling Stones. We just chilled and we listened to the album. And I thought, "What a great experience." Then I realized the other fun part about records is just finding them and collecting them, and trying to get original pressings. I have Wilson Pickett records that were made in Spain. I have Beatles records where the liner notes and the album covers are in different languages. I have a room where I have them — it feels like you're walking into a jukebox. It's where I read the paper sometimes. It's where I prepare for big election nights. I'll be in there for hours. It's how I relax. What's on your turntable at the moment? I'm in a bit of a hard-bop phase, so I'm listening to a lot of Art Blakey, a lot of Cannonball Adderley. I've been trying to find great live albums. I picked up this great five-record set from Bruce Springsteen, the run he had in the late '70s through the '80s. And a great album, which I got turned on to, is Elvis Presley's "From Elvis in Memphis." He recorded that in 1969, when Jimi Hendrix was taking off and Woodstock was happening. And it's just a very country Americana album with beautiful songs. It's got the Memphis Boys backing him. You have good taste in music. I appreciate it. Sign up for our Wide Shot newsletter to get the latest entertainment business news, analysis and insights. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Scotsman
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Album reviews: Gloria Estefan Lavinia Blackwall
Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Gloria Estefan: Raices (Crescent Moon/Sony Music Latin) ★★★ Faith Eliott: Dryas (Lost Map) ★★★★★ Lavinia Blackwall: The Making (The Barne Society) ★★★★ Latin superstar Gloria Estefan marks 50 years in music with her first Spanish language album in almost two decades. Raices, meaning 'roots', is a vibrant exploration of her Cuban-American heritage, written and produced by her husband Emilio Estefan. Its title track is a joyous Cubano catharsis, with lyrics translating as 'if you want a good harvest, you need to know how to sow, with faith and dedication, that tree will grow roots'. Gloria Estefan | Crescent Moon/Sony Music Latin Elsewhere, Estefan helms the big band clamour and salsa explosion of La Vecina (No Se Na) with infectious verve, delivers impassioned balladeering on Tan Iguales y Tan Diferentes, accompanied by Spanish guitar and lush orchestration, and settles into a gentler middle of the road sway on Cuando el Tiempo Nos Castiga. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Edinburgh-based singer/songwriter Faith Eliott is something special, following up debut album Impossible Bodies with another imaginative dive into science, nature and mythology. Dryas is a gorgeous, gentle, poignant and hopeful folk pop fantasia, where the elemental intersects with the digital. Eliott dives into apocalypse stories on snowglobe, weaves a sparse, gothic anthropomorphic yarn on thys creatur and presides beautifully over an ode of unrequited love from a hagfish to a giant isopod, where the needy meets the unavailable on the ocean floor. Faith Eliott | Contributed Trembling Bells frontwoman Lavinia Blackwall is a similarly bold stylist. Her latest solo album is a full folk band fiesta in the spirit of Pentangle and Steeleye Span with her own soaring vocal as the star instrument. Maggie Reilly of Moonlight Shadow fame guests on My Hopes Are All Mine, a bitter tale of inequality, themed round the creaky turning of the wheel of fortune. Laura J Martin adds ye olde recorder part to the folk fable Scarlett Fever, while Blackwall veers into plaintive baroque pop on We All Get Lost and lets loose her inner Kate Bush on the glam eccentricity of Morning To Remember. CLASSICAL Yeol Eum Sol: Ravel & Bach (Naïve) ★★★★ Yet more Maurice Ravel to mark the 150th anniversary of his birth, this time from dynamic South Korean pianist Yeol Eum Son with The Hague's Residentie Orkest under Anja Bihlmaier. Both Son and Bihlmaier have hugely impressed live audiences in Scotland of late, performing with the SCO and BBC SSO respectively. But here they are together in a Ravel piano concerto double bill – the scintillating G major and hybrid Left Hand Concerto (written for Paul Wittgenstein, who lost his right arm in the First World War) – and the teamwork is exemplary. Son brings freshly-conceived excitement to the G major, a glorious mix of zestfulness and laid-back poeticism, woozy and bluesy in the slow movement, pyrotechnically scintillating in the Finale, with Bihlmaier deploying lightning orchestral fire in response. The Left Hand Concerto is weightier, but still possesses drive and determined musicality. Son ends with four left hand solo transcriptions by Wittgenstein. Ken Walton JAZZ Tom Lyne with Dave Milligan: Well Mixed Blue (LisaLeo Records) ★★★★ Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
Yahoo
4 days ago
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American Music Awards 2025 Red Carpet Photos: Benson Boone, Shaboozey, Ciara, Lainey Wilson, Nikki Glaser & More
Jennifer Lopez is hosting the American Music Awards 2025 live from Las Vegas, with many stars coming together to celebrate music. Some performers expected to grace the stage at the Fontainebleau in Sin City include Blake Shelton, Gloria Estefan, Gwen Stefani, Reneé Rapp, Benson Boone, and Lainey Wilson. More from Deadline How To Watch The 2025 American Music Awards Blake Shelton, Gloria Estefan, Gwen Stefani, Reneé Rapp, Benson Boone & Lainey Wilson To Perform At The 2025 American Music Awards Janet Jackson To Receive Icon Award At 2025 American Music Awards Other stars scheduled to appear at the AMAs include Alex Warren, Becky G, Manuel Turizo, Alix Earle, Ciara, Dan + Shay, Dylan Efron, Jake Shane, Jon Batiste, Jordan Chiles, Kai Cenat, Megan Moroney, Nikki Glaser, Shaboozey, Tiffany Haddish, Wayne Brady, Zac Brown, among others. RELATED: Janet Jackson is set to be the recipient of the Icon Award for her legacy in music. Alongside hosting the award show, Lopez is also set to perform. RELATED: Kendrick Lamar leads the nominations list with 10 nods, including Artist of the Year and Album of the Year. Lamar is followed by Post Malone with eight nods, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, and Shaboozey each with seven nods, Taylor Swift with six, and Beyoncé with three. Scroll through the photo gallery below to see all the 2025 American Music Awards looks. Best of Deadline 'The Last Of Us': Differences Between HBO Series & Video Game Across Seasons 1 And 2 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery
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5 days ago
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AMAs 2025: See the Complete American Music Awards Winners List!
Kendrick Lamar leads this year's slate of nominees with 10 nods Trailing him are Post Malone, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan and Shaboozey The 2025 American Music Awards are airing live on CBS and streaming on Paramount+The 2025 American Music Awards are here — and so are a new crop of winners! This year's American Music Awards, hosted by Jennifer Lopez, are airing live from the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, and celebrate the year's most iconic music. The AMAs are the largest fan-voted award show, and nominees are based on key fan interactions, including streaming, album and song sales, radio airplay and tour grosses. With 10 nominations to his name, Kendrick Lamar is the most-nominated artist of the night, with Post Malone, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan and recent PEOPLE cover star Shaboozey behind him. Should Lamar win in all 10 categories, he'll tie Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston for most awards in a single year. . Performances this year include Lopez, Benson Boone, Lainey Wilson, Blake Shelton, Gloria Estefan, Gwen Stefani, Renée Rapp, Alex Warren and Becky G and Manuel Turizo. Janet Jackson, Rod Stewart and Zac Brown will all be honored with individual achievement awards. Presenters include Shaboozey, Dylan Efron, Alix Earle, Cara Delevingne, Ciara, Dan + Shay, Jordan Chiles, Kai Cenat, Megan Moroney, Nikki Glaser, Tiffany Haddish and Wayne Brady. See the complete list of 2025 American Music Awards winners below. Ariana Grande Billie Eilish — WINNER Chappell Roan Kendrick Lamar Morgan Wallen Post Malone Sabrina Carpenter SZA Taylor Swift Zach Bryan Benson Boone Chappell Roan Gracie Abrams — WINNER Shaboozey Teddy Swims Tommy Richman Beyoncé - COWBOY CARTER Billie Eilish - — WINNER Chappell Roan - The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess Charli xcx - BRAT Gracie Abrams - The Secret of Us Future & Metro Boomin - WE DON'T TRUST YOU Kendrick Lamar - GNX Post Malone - F-1 Trillion Sabrina Carpenter - Short n' Sweet Taylor Swift - The Tortured Poets Department Benson Boone - 'Beautiful Things' Billie Eilish - 'Birds of a Feather' — WINNER Chappell Roan - 'Good Luck, Babe!' Hozier - 'Too Sweet' Kendrick Lamar - 'Not Like Us' Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars - 'Die With A Smile' Post Malone featuring Morgan Wallen - 'I Had Some Help' Sabrina Carpenter - 'Espresso' Shaboozey - 'A Bar Song (Tipsy)' Teddy Swims - 'Lose Control' Kendrick Lamar & SZA - 'Luther' Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars - 'Die With a Smile' — WINNER Marshmello & Kane Brown - 'Miles on It' Post Malone featuring Morgan Wallen - 'I Had Some Help' ROSÉ & Bruno Mars - 'APT.' Taylor Swift featuring Post Malone - 'Fortnight' Chappell Roan - 'HOT TO GO!' Djo - 'End of Beginning' Doechii - "Anxiety' — WINNER Lola Young - 'Messy' Shaboozey - 'A Bar Song (Tipsy)' Tommy Richman - 'Million Dollar Baby' Billie Eilish — WINNER Luke Combs Morgan Wallen Taylor Swift Zach Bryan Benson Boone - 'Beautiful Things' KAROL G - 'Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido' Kendrick Lamar - 'Not Like Us' Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars - 'Die With a Smile' — WINNER Shaboozey - 'A Bar Song (Tipsy)' Benson Boone Bruno Mars — WINNER Hozier Teddy Swims The Weeknd Billie Eilish — WINNER Chappell Roan Lady Gaga Sabrina Carpenter Taylor Swift Billie Eilish - — WINNER Chappell Roan - The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess Charli xcx - BRAT Sabrina Carpenter - Short n' Sweet Taylor Swift - The Tortured Poets Department Benson Boone - 'Beautiful Things' Billie Eilish - 'Birds of a Feather' — WINNER Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars - 'Die With A Smile' Sabrina Carpenter - 'Espresso' Teddy Swims - 'Lose Control' Jelly Roll Luke Combs Morgan Wallen Post Malone — WINNER Shaboozey Beyoncé — WINNER Ella Langley Kacey Musgraves Lainey Wilson Megan Moroney Dan + Shay — WINNER Old Dominion Parmalee The Red Clay Strays Zac Brown Band Beyoncé - — WINNER Jelly Roll - Beautifully Broken Megan Moroney - Am I Okay? Post Malone - F-1 Trillion Shaboozey - Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going Jelly Roll - 'I Am Not Okay' Koe Wetzel & Jessie Murph - 'High Road' Luke Combs - 'Ain't No Love in Oklahoma' Post Malone featuring Morgan Wallen - 'I Had Some Help' — WINNER Shaboozey - 'A Bar Song (Tipsy)' Drake Eminem — WINNER Future Kendrick Lamar Tyler, the Creator Doechii GloRilla Latto Megan Thee Stallion — WINNER Sexyy Red Eminem - — WINNER Future & Metro Boomin - WE DON'T TRUST YOU Gunna - one of wun Kendrick Lamar - GNX Tyler, The Creator - CHROMAKOPIA Future, Metro Boomin & Kendrick Lamar - 'Like That' GloRilla - 'TGIF' GloRilla & Sexyy Red - 'WHATCHU KNO ABOUT ME' Kendrick Lamar - 'Not Like Us' — WINNER Kendrick Lamar & SZA - 'Luther' Bryson Tiller Chris Brown PARTYNEXTDOOR The Weeknd — WINNER Usher Kehlani Muni Long Summer Walker SZA — WINNER Tyla Bryson Tiller - Bryson Tiller PARTYNEXTDOOR - PARTYNEXTDOOR 4 (P4) PARTYNEXTDOOR & Drake - $ome $exy $ongs 4 U SZA - SOS Deluxe: LANA The Weeknd - — WINNER Chris Brown - 'Residuals' Muni Long - 'Made For Me' SZA - 'Saturn' — WINNER The Weeknd & Playboi Carti - 'Timeless' Tommy Richman - 'Million Dollar Baby' Bad Bunny — WINNER Feid Peso Pluma Rauw Alejandro Tito Double P Becky G — WINNER KAROL G Natti Natasha Shakira Young Miko Calibre 50 Fuerza Regida Grupo Firme Grupo Frontera Julión Álvarez y su Norteño Banda — WINNER Bad Bunny - — WINNER Fuerza Regida - Dolido Pero No Arrepentido Peso Pluma - ÉXODO Rauw Alejandro - Cosa Nuestra Tito Double P - INCÓMODO Bad Bunny - 'DtMF' FloyyMenor X Cris Mj - 'Gata Only' KAROL G - 'Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido' Oscar Maydon & Fuerza Regida - 'Tu Boda' Shakira - 'Soltera' — WINNER Hozier Linkin Park Pearl Jam Twenty One Pilots — WINNER Zach Bryan Hozier - Unreal Unearth: Unending Koe Wetzel - 9 Lives The Marías - Submarine Twenty One Pilots - — WINNER Zach Bryan - The Great American Bar Scene Green Day - 'Dilemma' Hozier - 'Too Sweet' Linkin Park - 'The Emptiness Machine' — WINNER Myles Smith - 'Stargazing' Zach Bryan - 'Pink Skies' Charli xcx David Guetta John Summit Lady Gaga — WINNER Marshmello — WINNER Hazbin Hotel (Original Soundtrack) Moana 2 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Auliʻi Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson and cast) Twisters: The Album Wicked: The Soundtrack (Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande and cast) Asake Rema Tems Tyla — WINNER Wizkid ATEEZ Jimin RM — WINNER ROSÉ Stray Kids Read the original article on People
Yahoo
5 days ago
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Every 2025 American Music Awards Performance Ranked
The 2025 American Music Awards was a true cross-generational affair, as streamers and influencers shared the stage with arena headliners and stone-cold legends. While the talent on display could have caused some culture clashes during the telecast on Monday night (May 26), instead, the AMAs felt well-balanced between sounds and styles, as household names got to perform in front of rising stars, and vice versa. More from Billboard Here Are the 2025 American Music Awards Winners (Updating Live) Shakira Falls Onstage During 'Whenever, Wherever' Performance at Montreal Concert Kenan Thompson Hints at 'A Lot of Change' for 'SNL' Season 51 Longtime A-listers such as Janet Jackson, Rod Stewart and host Jennifer Lopez would cede the stage to up-and-comers including Benson Boone, Alex Warren and Reneé Rapp at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, while their peers in the audience and collecting the trophies remained just as varied. Another plus was the cross-genre representation: The traditions of Latin music were on display thanks to Gloria Estefan's medley, while Becky G and Manuel Turizo combined to hint at where popular Spanish-language music may be headed. And after Blake Shelton hammered through a deep-rooted country tune, Lainey Wilson took the stage to deliver a new-school twist on the Nashville sound. Naturally, the best performances of the 2025 AMAs belonged to a mix of freshmen and veterans, as breakout hits received (and deserved) the same type of standing ovations as medleys of decades-old smashes. Whether they could be heard on your favorite CD growing up or at the top of the daily streaming charts today, the most memorable songs from this year's American Music Awards offered something for every type of music fan. So which performances stood out the most? Here's one humble ranking of every performance from the 2025 American Music Awards. 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. With an American flag behind him and a pin on his lapel, Blake Shelton's performance of new single 'Stay Country or Die Tryin'' near the beginning of the telecast served as a passionate reminder of the holiday that coincided with the 2025 American Music Awards. With a full band that allowed for fiddle riffs, guitar solos and cymbal smashes, Shelton stood tall, and made his AMAs debut with a full-throated anthem. 'Happy 40th birthday, 'Conga!'' Gloria Estefan crowed onstage at the AMAs, getting the audience moving while hustling through a medley of 'Rhythm Is Gonna Get You,' 'La Vecina (No Sé Na)' and, of course, her 1985 classic with Miami Sound Machine. The instrumentation from the singles still popped decades later — although considering how quickly Estefan's performance came to a close, one wishes the legendary performer had more time to showcase her aesthetic. After being introduced by her partner Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani kicked things off in a cornfield, performing 'Swallow My Tears' from her recent country effort Boutique — but after the first chorus, the beat from 'The Sweet Escape' kicked in, and Stefani reminded the world of the solo pop superstardom she grabbed in the mid-2000s. With dancers sporting kilts and oversized lollipops, and a whistle from her trumpet player announcing the medley-capping 'Hollaback Girl,' Stefani looked like she was having a blast reliving her past after showcasing her present. Reneé Rapp's Broadway background was on full display during her debut performance of new single 'Leave Me Alone': The rising star navigated a crowded bathroom that had its walls collapse, a pop-punk fantasia with kicky dancers and snarling guitar, and a camera hovering from the ceiling, which captured Rapp sprawled out on stage. Rapp is aiming at high-wattage pop stardom, and she used her AMAs performance to illustrate how 'Leave Me Alone' can help her get there. Rod Stewart's evening-capping performance was preceded by a presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to the pop legend, with five of his children surprising Stewart on stage; he seemed equally shocked and moved by the gesture, and that spirit carried over into the evening's final set. With a voice as familiar as Stewart's and a song as timeless as 'Forever Young,' the AMAs producers lined up a crowd-pleaser to finish off the ceremony — although the Riverdance vibe from the performance, complete with fleet-footed dancers and bagpipes, upended expectations as well. Following Blake Shelton's fiery performance a few minutes before her, Lainey Wilson offered a more reflective version of popular country with her presentation of 'Somewhere Over Laredo': In a billowing white getup, Wilson performed in front of a wind machine and rhinestone-encrusted mic stand, and produced plenty of waving arms with her new single. With her AMAs debut, Wilson continued her ascent within country in front of a mainstream audience. The AMAs performance of Becky G and Manuel Turizo's recent collaboration 'Que Haces' required some nifty technical work from the telecast's crew, including a clever use of split-screen to open the set — with Becky starting at the top of a staircase, Turizo slowly dancing through the audience at the same time, and the two artists eventually colliding — and the cameras lingering on their creative chemistry in the final minute. Their respective tones blended impressively as dancers hovered around them, providing a quick moment of intimacy in a crowded scenario. Benson Boone may be moving on from 'Beautiful Things' to other singles such as new hit 'Mystical Magical,' but the singer-songwriter exuded rock-star energy while prowling through the audience, singing the falsetto-heavy chorus in front of a four-piece string section, rocking an eye-popping magenta suit and, of course, hitting an acrobatic flip mid-song. Benson is feeling himself, and proving his staying power beyond his breakout smash. Janet Jackson's first TV performance in seven years is a major deal for both casual pop listeners and hardcore fans; AMAs host Jennifer Lopez, who once danced in Jackson's music video for 'That's the Way Love Goes,' is one of the latter, introducing her performance by proclaiming that the superstar set 'the blueprint for how to be a strong female artist in this industry.' Instead of sprawling across her catalog to precede the acceptance of her Icon Award, though, Jackson stuck to a pair of still-potent singles from her 2001 album All For You: 'Someone to Call My Lover' was unfurled with breezy choreography to match its smile-inducing hook, and 'All For You' had colorful visuals, high energy and finger snaps. Jackson didn't overreach during the performance, instead revisiting one of her strongest eras to demonstrate how thoroughly she can still command attentions. Alex Warren's AMAs debut began humbly enough — just the singer-songwriter under a lone spotlight, in front of a black background. A few seconds into his performance of global smash 'Ordinary,' however, Warren retreated a few feet to the back toward a swelling chorus of voices, and the background morphed into the enormous moon of the song's artwork, capturing the magnitude of the moment for an artist who's been enjoying a meteoric rise. With deep emotion in his eyes and a chorus that sounded arena-sized with so many voices joining his own, Warren added gravity to the AMAs stage, and earned the pyrotechnics that capped off the performance. After spending decades showing off her talents as a true triple threat, Jennifer Lopez kicked off the 2025 American Music Awards by delving deep into her dazzling skill set. The evening's host began her performance — and the telecast — with a ballad version of her hit 'Dance Again,' complete with cinematic mirrors and go-for-broke vocals. Then, she took the song title's advice, proceeding to race through an elaborate dance routine set to a mega-mix of the year's biggest hits, from Kendrick Lamar's 'TV Off' to Shaboozey's 'A Bar Song (Tipsy)' to Billie Eilish's 'Birds of a Feather.' Not only was the performance a smart way to start an awards ceremony honoring the most popular music of the past year, but J. Lo's expert choreography and unflagging energy served as reminders of a legendary performer's vitality. She set the tone for the rest of the evening, and in the end, no one could top her. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
