Pink will be honoured with the Icon Award at this year’s Billboard Music Awards.
The ‘Raise Your Glass’ hitmaker feels “humbled and blessed” to have been chosen to follow in the footsteps of stars including Neil Diamond, Jennifer Lopez, Celine Dion, the late Prince, and Mariah Carey to be only the 10th artist to receive the accolade and, at 41, will be the youngest winner to date.
She said in a statement: “As a little girl, I always dreamed about being a singer and sharing my love of music with the world.
“Years later, to receive the Billboard Music Awards Icon Award is hard to fathom! I feel so honoured to join the ranks of music idols like Cher, Garth Brooks, Janet Jackson and Stevie Wonder. It’s a true ‘pinch me’ moment and I feel humbled and blessed.”
As with all previous recipients, Pink will perform at the awards, which take place at Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theater on 23 May, marking her first musical appearance at the event in five years.
The Icon Award “recognises outstanding artists who have achieved excellence on the Billboard charts and have made an indelible mark on music itself.”
Nick Jonas will host this year’s ceremony, while The Weeknd leads the nominations with an impressive 16 nods, followed by DaBaby with 11, Pop Smoke with 10 and Gabby Barrett with nine.
Organisers have already ruled out an appearance from Morgan Wallen in any capacity, despite his receiving six nominations, after the country star was caught on video using the N-word.
Dick Clark Productions said in a statement: “Morgan Wallen is a finalist this year based on charting. As his recent conduct does not align with our core values, we will not be including him on the show in any capacity (performing, presenting, accepting).”
The shortlisted artists and winners are based on key fan interactions with music, including album and digital song sales, streaming, radio airplay, and social engagement, tracked by Billboard and its data partners over the chart period of March 21, 2020, to April 3, 2021.
