Karol G Made History as the First Colombian Artist to Win an AMA Honor That Nobody Had Received Since Whitney Houston

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Credit: Instagram/@karolg

The American Music Awards has been honoring artists for over five decades, and on the night of May 25th it delivered one of its most memorable evenings in years. Karol G walked away with two awards, including a prize that had not been given to anyone since Whitney Houston received it in 2009, and she opened the night with a solo performance that set the tone for everything that followed.

@amas

Thank you for giving the world your music, @karolg 🫶 Congrats on receiving the International Artist Award of Excellence! #AMAs

♬ original sound – AMAs – AMAs

The Colombian artist performed “Ivonne Bonita,” one of the songs from her most recent album “Tropicoqueta,” alone on the 52nd AMA stage in a silver transparent ensemble, with the production designed to let her voice and presence do the work without distraction. The performance became one of the most talked-about moments of the ceremony before the award portion of the evening had even begun.

A Prize That Has Not Been Given in Over 15 Years

Karol G became the first Colombian artist in history to receive the International Award for Artistic Excellence at the American Music Awards, a distinction that places her in a category that includes Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Led Zeppelin and the Bee Gees. The award, which recognizes artists whose music and cultural influence have crossed borders and reshaped the global landscape, had been retired from the ceremony since Whitney Houston received it in 2009, making its return for Karol G a deliberate and pointed acknowledgment of where she stands in the current musical moment.

John Legend presented the award and framed her achievement in terms that captured the scope of what she has built. “There are artists who make hits, and then there are artists who make history,” he said, before pointing to her headline performance at Coachella, where she became the first Latina artist to top the festival’s lineup, as one example of a career that has consistently pushed into territory no Latin artist had occupied before. He described the honor as one reserved for the most iconic global superstars who have made history in music and changed culture around the world, and said it was his privilege to present it to the one and only Karol G.

@billboard.colombia

Nuestra @Karol G y su hermoso performance en los #Amas2026

♬ sonido original – Billboard CO

What Karol G Said When She Got to the Microphone

Karol G accepted the award with a speech that centered on purpose rather than achievement. She told the audience that above everything her career has given her, the most important thing in her life is the sense of purpose she has found through her music. She described the experience of performing a song and having its words become a voice for other people, a place of healing and a safe space, as the thing that makes her genuinely happy.

The night was not finished with her yet. As she was wrapping up her speech, Legend returned to the microphone with an unannounced addition to the evening. He revealed that “Tropicoqueta” had been selected as the Best Latin Album of the Year, a second award that Karol G had no advance knowledge of, and her reaction was immediate and completely unguarded. The surprise produced visible joy from an artist who had already absorbed one historic moment and suddenly found herself absorbing another.

The Album and the Tour Behind This Moment

The double recognition at the AMAs arrives at a point in Karol G’s career defined by the extraordinary commercial and cultural impact of “Tropicoqueta.” The album debuted at number one on the Top Latin Albums chart and has established itself as one of the most influential releases of her career, drawing on a range of sounds and ambitions that pushed her artistry into new territory.

The album’s accompanying world tour, Viajando Por El Mundo Tropitour, sold close to two million tickets in four days, a pace that forced a complete rethinking of the tour’s scale. The itinerary expanded from 39 to 63 stadium shows around the world to meet a demand that neither the artist nor her team had anticipated at that volume or speed.

Karol G left the 52nd American Music Awards with two trophies, a performance that opened the night on her own terms and a place in the short list of artists for whom the International Award for Artistic Excellence was considered worthy of being revived. Colombia has produced no shortage of artists who have left their mark on global music, and on Sunday night in Los Angeles, one of them added her name to a list that began with Michael Jackson.

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