Shakira took the MTV stage for the first time in 17 years on Tuesday night when she accepted the Video Vanguard Award at the 2023 VMA Awards.
“Thank you MTV. Thank you for being such a huge part of my career when I was 18 years old,” the “Hips Don’t Lie” singer, 46, told the crowd at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
The mother-of-two praised her sons, Milan, 10, and Sasha, 8, for giving her a moral boost.
“Thank you so much for cheering me up and making me feel like a mom can do it all,” Shakira, who shares her child with ex Gerard Pique, said in her acceptance speech.
While accepting the award, Shakira also thanked a number of people, including her brand, her parents and the “amazing women” she works with who “always help us.” [her] push all [her] The challenge of wearing many hats. “
Introducing the internationally renowned artist, Wyclef Jean noted that Shakira has sold “95 million records worldwide,” which the rapper shared makes her one of the “best-selling artists of all time.”
Other artists who won the annual MTV award include Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna and Missy Elliott.
In addition to accepting the award, which amounts to a lifetime achievement award, the Grammy-winning artist took to the stage to perform several of her hit songs.
Shakira took to the stage wearing a sheer skin-toned bodysuit, paired with a sequined skirt and a hijab top.
She gave an energetic and danceable performance, singing hits like “Whenever Anywhere” and “Hips Don’t Lie.”
At one point, the singer added a pink metallic bomber jacket to her performance outfit.
Halfway through the song, Shakira was lifted by fans and crowd surfed as she sang to another platform, raising the singer above the cheering crowd.
Shakira, who made a stunning red carpet appearance in a backless chainmail gown, was nominated for four awards at the 2023 VMA Awards, including Entertainer of the Year and Best Collaboration with Karol G for “XQG.”
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She was also nominated for Best Latin for the same song she collaborated with Karol G on, as well as for her solo single “Acróstico.”
The Colombian singer has previously won four other VMA awards, dating back to 2000 for the International Audience Choice Award (Latin America North).
Two years later, Shakira won the award in the same category for her song “Whenever, Wherever.”
In 2006, Shakira won the Best Choreography Award for her hit song “Butts Don’t Lie”. This was also the last time Shakira performed on stage at the awards ceremony.
The following year, her song “Beautiful Liar” with Beyoncé won the VMA Award for Best Collaboration.
Shakira’s big night comes more than a year after the singer’s dramatic split from long-term partner Pique, 36, in June 2022.
The former couple’s two sons, 10-year-old Milan and 8-year-old Sasha, appeared on the red carpet with their mother on Tuesday, after they separated amid cheating rumors.
A source told Us in January that the pop star was “shocked” after discovering her ex was having an affair with girlfriend Clara Chia Marty “in the house they shared with their children.”
An insider told Us at the time that the two were “still together” when fans spotted Marty in the background of a 2021 Zoom interview.
The source added: “It was devastating for her to learn that this was going on for much longer than she thought.”
Shakira and NBA star Jimmy Butler were rumored to be dating after they were spotted on a cozy dinner date in London last month.
