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American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special: Mariah Carey, Chaka Khan, Jennifer Hudson And More Stars Deliver Iconic Performances
AMAs 50th Anniversary special brought together Mariah Carey, Jennifer Hudson, Chaka Khan, and more for a night of dazzling performances and tributes to five decades of music history.
Pop legends Mariah Carey, Jennifer Hudson, Chaka Khan, and others lit up the stage with iconic performances during the star-studded 50th anniversary celebration of the American Music Awards on October 6. The two-hour program, broadcast on the US network CBS, also saw performances from rappers Nelly, Chingy, J-Kwon, the hip-hop group St. Lunatics, and more.
Details on these performances and more iconic showcases are below—have a look.
London-born Raye captured the attention of music lovers on Sunday with her tribute performance for James Brown. The singer, who became well-known following the streak of success for her chart-topping debut album My 21st Century Blues, sang the Godfather of Soul’s hit track It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World.
The 26-year-old made history at the Brits this year, winning six awards—the most for any artist in a single year—including Album of the Year. She later won Songwriter of the Year at the 2024 Ivor Novellos.
Her performance followed Mariah Carey, who appeared on stage to honor her 2005 album The Emancipation of Mimi. The singer performed We Belong Together, saying, “I love you,” to the audience to close her performance. Carey’s presentation came just over a month after she announced the death of her mother and sister on the same day in a tragic turn of events.
Hudson, for her part, performed a moving tribute to her idol Whitney Houston in honor of her 1994 AMAs medley, where she won eight awards for the soundtrack of The Bodyguard. Hudson performed I Will Always Love You from the film while donning a similar black dress as Houston. She also sang I Loves You, Porgy in honor of the star, just like how Houston did in her 20th AMAs medley.
Other performances of the night were delivered by Rodgers and Chic, who performed Le Freak before a rendition of Daft Punk’s Get Lucky and Green Day, who performed their latest hit Dilemma to celebrate the history of rock music at the AMAs.
Nelly, Chingy, J-Kwon, and the hip-hop group St. Lunatics performed a medley of hit songs including Ride Wit Me, Wat Da Hook Gon Be, Right Thurr, and Hot in Herre.
K-pop band Stray Kids honored the legacy of boy bands during the ceremony, recreating NSYNC’s No Strings Attached 2000 album cover, featuring the band members on puppet strings during their showcase.
The final performance was from Chaka Khan and Sheila E., who performed I’m Every Woman, to celebrate 50 years of achievement by female artists at the award ceremony.
Star presenters included actress Kate Hudson, comedian Cedric the Entertainer, and soul singer Smokey Robinson, who hosted the first AMAs, and more.
The award ceremony was created by veteran producer Dick Clark in 1974 as a fan-voted alternative to the Grammys.
Those who missed catching the AMAs Anniversary Special live on TV can stream it on Paramount+, DirecTV, FuboTV, and Hulu + Live TV.
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