The prize-giving might be on hiatus, scheduled to return in 2025, but the organisers of the American Music Awards weren’t going to pass up the opportunity to celebrate their 50th anniversary. And so, on 6 October, we got a special ceremony that paid tribute to a half century’s worth of great artists and music.
One of the undoubted highlights was Chaka Khan taking to the stage to perform her 1978 smash, I’m Every Woman, alongside percussion maestro - and legend of the Prince universe - Sheila E.
And then there was Jennifer Hudson, pulling off the monumental challenge of honouring the late Whitney Houston with note-perfect renditions of I Loves You Porgy and I Will Always Love You.
Other highlights included a Mariah Carey medley, and Nile Rodgers and Chic bashing Le Freak into Get Lucky, Daft Punk’s 2013 hit on which Rodgers played guitar.
Raye, meanwhile, performed It’s A Man’s World, while rock was represented by Green Day with an assured runthrough of 2023 single Dilemma.
