Singer-actor Jenifer Lopez was bestowed the People’s Icon of 2020 award at the E! People’s Choice Award (PCA) that took place on Sunday.
According to People magazine, the award was presented to the ‘Hustlers’ actor by the ‘Call Me By Your Name’ actor Armie Hammer.
The honour celebrates Lopez’s work over her decades-long career in the entertainment and music industry.
The superstar was given a surprise through a video message each from Renee Zellweger and Nicole Kidman before her acceptance speech. Both the actors congratulated her for the big award and lauded her hard work. Then, Lopez’s 12-year-old twins Emme and Max shared a sweet message and appeared virtually as they supported their mom on stage.
As she began her acceptance speech, the ‘If You Had My Love’ singer spoke about how 2020 was a “great leveller.”
“Man, 2020 was no joke right? I mean before 2020 we were obsessing about winning this award or getting nominated for that award or we were caught up in who sold the most records or box office opening or crazy stuff like did we get the latest drop before anybody else. But not this year. This year was the great leveller,” People magazine quoted Lopez as saying.
She then went on to thank her fans for their “belief,” and “faith,” in her.
“Your belief and your faith in me motivates me to keep going and sometimes when I’m tired or beaten down, like a lot of us have been this year, it’s my family, friends, my babies and my fans, you guys, who have lifted me up when I couldn’t lift myself. I am so grateful to have you, to have that in my life,” she said.
In the following section of her speech, the 51-year-old actor is seen giving inspirational messages to “girls in all ages and all colours.”
“As a Latina and as a woman, we have to work twice as hard to get the opportunities, sometimes my big dreams and my ambitions, it made the people around me nervous. So now here I stand so very grateful knowing that the true measure of my success is not in box office numbers or records sold, but from the love that I feel from all of you,” Lopez said in the emotional speech.
“The true measure is inspiring girls in all ages and all colours, from all over the world, to know you can do whatever want, as many things as you want, and to be proud of who you are no matter where you come from. I want them to know your dreams are limited only by your imagination, determination, and their willingness to never give up,” she added.
The actor-turned-singer-turned-businesswoman has seen massive success over the year. The star has had 10 of her songs reach the Billboard Hot 100’s top 10 and two No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200.
