Ricky Martin to make VMAs History with First Latin Icon Award
The Latino pop icon and Puerto Rican legend will be honored for his impact in Latin music at the VMAs
Singer Ricky Martin holds up two of his MTV Video Awards backstage at New York's Metropolitan Opera House Thursday, Sept. 9, 1999. (AP Photo/Suzanne Plunkett)
Award show season is coming up, and this year, the MTV VMAs are honoring Puerto Rican pop icon Ricky Martin’s legacy and impact in Latin music with a new special award. The 53-year-old singer, songwriter, and actor is set to make MTV VMAs history this year as the first artist to receive the show’s Latin Icon award in an epic full-circle moment. The VMAS announced that Martin will become the first recipient of the 2025 Latin Icon award through an Instagram post on Monday, August 18. The Latino pop star, best known for iconic hits including “Livin’ la Vida Loca” and “María,” will also perform live at the event, which airs September 7 on CBS. “Thrilled to be honoring @ricky_martin with the first ever 2025 #VMAs Latin Icon Award!” the VMAs Instagram post caption read.
This full-circle moment comes 26 years after Martin swept at the 1999 MTV VMAs, where he made history as the first male Latin artist to win Best Pop Video for his iconic hit “Livin’ la Vida Loca.” The Grammy Award-winning artist additionally performed live at the event and received a total of nine nominations in categories including Video of the Year, a historic first for a Latino artist. By the end of the ceremony, he won five awards including Best Dance Video and International Viewers Choice in North and South Latin America, showing that Latinx music and talent could dominate the charts and win awards at a global level.
Martin revealed he was preparing for the award show next month in a post made to his Instagram story, which read: “With the one and only Jamie King! @vmas GET READY!”
Born Enrique Martín Morales on Dec. 24, 1971 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Martin began his musical career as a member of the legendary boy band Menudo. He eventually left the group in 1989 and dabbled in the world of acting for a couple years before launching his career as a soloist in 1991. He has since sold over 95 million albums throughout his career of over three decades and charted 27 top 10 hits on the U.S. Latin Charts, exploring genres including Latin pop, dance, reggaeton, and salsa. The Boricua icon has also won a total of two Grammy Awards and four Latin Grammy Awards and is one of the most well-known Latino pop stars of all time. With the massive success of “Livin’ la Vida Loca,” he is credited with the Latin explosion of the ‘90s that dominated MTV during that time.
