Jennifer Lopez was the woman of the night at last night’s airing of the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards.
Prior to receiving her Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, J.Lo took to the stage to perform a 10-minute set of her hits, which spans over 20 years. Wearing a gold leotard, she kicked off her performance with the hit “Waiting for Tonight,” then quickly switched to the club banger, “On the Floor.”
After a minor outfit change, J.Lo began merging in some of her classic urban hits in “Love Don’t Cost a Thing,” and “I’m Real” & “Ain’t It Funny,” with assistance from the songs’ collaborator Ja Rule.
As boyfriend Alex Rodriguez looked on with her twins and mother, J.Lo made kept the crowd hyped with other hits like “All I Have” and “Jenny From The Block.”
.@JLo full performance at the @vmas #VideoVanguard!
Special reunion with @Ruleyork 💞 #VMAs pic.twitter.com/V3kJDw3DE1— MTV Asia (@mtvasia) August 21, 2018
Following a standing ovation from her peers including Cardi B and Camila Cabello, Shawn Mendes presented J.Lo with the Video Vanguard, making her the first Latin artist to receive the honor. Lopez now joins other icons who have previously received the award, including David Bowie, Beyonce, Kanye West, and Madonna.
During her heartfelt speech, she thanked her manager Benny Medina, mother, children, and fans.
“I grew up on MTV, and this really is a tremendous honor for me,” an excited J.lo told the crowd.
She called her career an “incredible journey of dreaming my wildest dreams and watching them come true,” proving people wrong who said she “could only do one thing,” not act, sing, dance and everything else she’s accomplished.
“I always had it in my mind, ‘Why not?'” she said. “So I always kind of had to forge my own path and make my own rules.”
But after two children, Emme and Maximilian, came into her life, “I had to change,” she added. “Through that unconditional love, my career my whole life became clearer in every way. Now today I stand here strong, better than ever.”
She couldn’t close without giving a shout out to her “twin soul” and beau Alex Rodriguez. “You’re like my twin soul,” she said. “We’re like mirror images of each other. My life is sweeter and better with you in it.”
J.Lo also took home Best Collaboration for her Cardi B and DJ Khaled-assisted single, “Dinero.”
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