Shakira will make history at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 12, becoming the first South American artist to receive the Video Vanguard Award.
The Colombian-born superstar will become the second Latina artist to receive that marquee award. Jennifer Lopez,
Women have thoroughly dominated this category in recent years. Shakira follows Rihanna (2016), P!nk (2017),
Lopez (2018), Missy Elliott (2019) and Nicki Minaj (2022). There was no recipient in 2020-21. The last man to win the award was Kanye West in 2015.
Shakira is also set to perform on the VMAs for the first time in 17 years. This maintains a recent VMAs tradition. Starting with Justin Timberlake in 2013,
the Video Vanguard award has been accompanied by an extended performance from the recipient, usually featuring a career-spanning medley of hits.
Shakira is very likely to perform her 2023 smash “TQG,” a collab with Karol G that debuted and peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March.
Karol G has already been announced as a performer on this year’s show (along with Demi Lovato, Måneskin and Stray Kids).
This has been one of Shakira’s biggest and busiest years. In January, she debuted and peaked at No. 9 on the Hot 100 with the Bizarrap collab “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,”
which made her the first female vocalist to reach the top 10 with a Spanish-language track.
That single enabled Shakira to set 14 Guinness World Records, including the most streamed Latin track on Spotify in 24 hours,
most viewed Latin video on YouTube in 24 hours, fastest Latin track to reach 100 million views on YouTube, and most streamed Latin track on Spotify in one week.
And that was just the start of Shakira’s red-hot year. As noted above, she reached No. 7 on the Hot 100 in March with “TQG,” making 2023
the first year in which she has had two songs peak in the top 10 on the all-genre chart. In April,
Shakira was named Billboard’s Latin Woman of the Year. In July, she became the first artist to hold down the top three spots on Billboard’s Latin Pop Airplay chart in the list’s nearly 30-year history.
“Shakira is a true global force who continues to inspire and influence the masses with her unique, musical prowess,” Bruce Gillmer, president of music,
music talent, programming and events, Paramount and chief content officer, Music, Paramount+, said in a statement.
“She’s a trailblazer for women around the world and one of the first artists to lead the globalization of Latin music.
Her massive impact across the musical landscape will be long-lasting as she continues to create and entertain at the highest level.”