At the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on Monday (April 1) night, bona fide pop legend Cher received the Icon Award.
When the Oscar-winning actress and Grammy-winning singer took the stage, she had a few words for the haters. “There are people who say, 'Doesn't this b-tch have more than one pair of pants?'” he said with a laugh. “I've had this pair of pants for 40 years. I thought we should come here and accept this award together.”
Speaking about her longevity, Cher said she felt “lucky to have people who have stuck with me over the years,” while acknowledging that “most of you weren't born” when her career began as part of Sonny & Cher on 60's. .
“I don't usually talk about it, but I've been down and out so many times you wouldn't believe it,” Cher admitted. “She left record companies, I couldn't get a job … they said, 'Oh, it's over.' But I never gave up on my dream.”
He had some advice for everyone in attendance and watching at home. “Have a dream and don't give up no matter what happens. If you have a dream and stick to it, you will have a wonderful life and it will probably come true.”
Before accepting the Icon Award, Cher took the stage to perform the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 “Believe”. But she wasn't alone. Vocal powerhouse (and fellow Oscar winner) Jennifer Hudson joined her, trading vocals with Cher on the dance-pop classic. Before “Believe”, Hudson took the stage to sing “If I Could Turn Back Time” from Cher's Adult Contemporary No. 1, which Hudson (no surprise) blew out of the water.
Cher's Icon Award was introduced by another living legend: Meryl Streep, who has been friends with Cher since they starred in the 1983 drama Silkwood together. Streep noted that Cher is the only woman to score a No. 1 Billboard song in each of the past seven decades. He also shared a story about hearing “I Got You Babe” when he was just two years old in the mid-'60s. “[Cher was] 17. I thought she was big – she could have been taller! We're both old now,” he added dryly.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/cher-icon-award-jennifer-hudson-iheartradio-music-awards-1235646901/