Lionel Richie Says It's 'Surreal' to Receive Icon Award at the 2022 AMAs: 'I'm Immensely Grateful'

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic Lionel Richie

Lionel Richie is going to have to make room for yet another award on his shelf!

On Monday, the Grammy and Oscar winner was announced as the recipient of the Icon Award at the upcoming 2022 American Music Awards — which will mark the "Hello" singer-songwriter's 18th trophy from the annual ceremony.

"I'm immensely grateful for a career that has taken me to places I never imagined that I'd go, from arenas worldwide to studio sets to the AMA stage," read a press statement from Richie, 73, who will become the only artist to appear on the fan-voted awards show in every decade since its 1973 inception.

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Continuing his statement, the former Commodores member reflected on a notable moment from his decades-long career. "I can recall one of the first times I got to perform at the AMAs," said Richie. "It was to sing 'We Are the World' among the most iconic musicians of my generation, so it is surreal to be receiving this recognition 36 years later."

Throughout his time in the industry, Richie has topped the Billboard Hot 100 several times with songs including "Three Times a Lady" with the Commodores, "Endless Love" with Diana Ross, "Truly," "All Night Long (All Night)," and "Hello" — all of which also earned trophies at the AMAs.

"Lionel Richie has had a profound impact on countless people around the world and on the music industry as a whole," said AMAs executive producer and showrunner Jesse Collins in a press statement. "From the millions of dollars raised due to 'We Are the World' to the global influence his unique sound still has today, Richie is the definition of a living legend and honoring him with the AMAs Icon Award is a no-brainer."

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The 2022 AMAs will air live on ABC at 8 p.m. ET on Nov. 20 and become available to stream on Hulu the following day. Hosted by Wayne Brady, the ceremony will also feature performances from Pink, Carrie Underwood, Imagine Dragons with J.I.D. and more.

Richie's announcement as this year's Icon Award winner arrived shortly after the musician was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday. He opened the ceremony, held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, by performing a medley of "Hello," the Commodores' "Easy" (with special guest Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl) and "All Night Long (All Night)."

Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty Lionel Richie

During his acceptance speech for the honor, Richie recalled facing pushback from music industry folks for his eclectic sound. "I was doing an interview one day, and he said, 'How does it feel now that you've left your roots?' I said, 'What does that mean?' Because at the time I signed to Motown I didn't know anything about the record business. I didn't know there was an R&B department and pop department, jazz. I thought I was competing with all the music," he said, per Rolling Stone.

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The Alabama native continued, "And so when I went and said, 'What do you want me to do?' And he said, 'Well, Lionel, you're not Black enough.' And I said, 'Let me ask you a question: If Mozart were black, would he be Mozart?' And the answer is no. Because he wasn't funky enough. At that point, I realized I'm going in the opposite direction. Because at this time, I needed to understand there are some people who specialize in their job. And then there's some people who don't know any better than God's gift was, 'What do you want to write, we can write.'"

Richie then discussed the importance of allowing musicians to create freely. "Let the creativeness flow. If you get an idea, the last thing you want to do is open your mouth and say something stupid, like 'I wouldn't do that if I were you,'" he said. "Especially if you're talking to a creative artist."