Shakira is set to make history as the first South American artist to win MTV’s Video Vanguard Award. The “Hips Don’t Lie” singer was announced earlier this week as the recipient for the prestigious award. Previous winners of the Video Vanguard Award include, Rihanna, Beyoncé and Justin Timberlake. In recent years, the award has been dominated with women from Rihanna (2016), P!nk (2017), Lopez (2018), Missy Elliott (2019) and Nicki Minaj (2022). The last man to win the award was Kanye West in 2015. “Shakira is a true global force who continues to inspire and influence the masses with her unique, musical prowess,” Bruce Gillmer, president of music talent at MTV parent company Paramount+, told Billboard. “Her impact across the musical landscape will be long-lasting.” The Video Music Awards, which is set to air next week, will feature a live performance from the Colombian singer, which will mark her first MTV performance since 2006 where she performed “Hips Don’t Lie” with Wyclef Jean.
Shakira has impacted the music industry for decades now and has proved that she is a force to be reckoned with. Shakira released four studio album before her English-language debut, “Laundry Service,” hit U.S. stores, selling over a million copies in 2001. According to ET, Shakira has become the first female singer to debut in the Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 with a Spanish-language track, twice. At this years VMA’s, Shakira is a nominee in the categories of Artist of the Year, Best Collaboration and Best Latin (twice). “She’s a trailblazer for women around the world and one of the first artists to lead the globalization of Latin music,” Gillmer said in his statement Monday, per Billboard. “She continues to create and entertain at the highest level.”
The Vanguard Award is only presented to artists with outstanding careers who have positively contributed to the world of music and video. According to MTV, the Vanguard recipients embody “outstanding contributions and profound impact on music video and popular culture.”
The VMA’s are set to air on September 12th on MTV.