Jennifer Lopez Brings Star Power to American Music Awards, Outshines Iggy Azalea
Iggy Azalea may have received the most nominations at the 2014 American Music Awards (and won two, for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist and Album), but it was Jennifer Lopez who shined brightest onstage this Sunday, when Iggy and J.Lo teamed up to perform their “Booty” collaboration as the awards show’s final act.
Lopez demonstrated why she deserved the headlining spot of what was otherwise a rather uneventful telecast. The 45-year-old diva closed the show with a bit of the salacious energy displayed in the song’s buzzy music video that debuted in September. She squirmed and crawled seductively in a revealing leotard, before Iggy emerged on a lower platform in an equally racy outfit.
When the two faced off (after Lopez made a quick-change into an even shiner leotard), they toned things down compared to their barely-SFW music video, refraining from their notorious butt-bumping antics. Actually, Iggy, who’d performed her own set earlier in the show, surprisingly stayed in the background.
After Iggy’s rap verse, J.Lo took centerstage and turned up the heat, transforming “Booty’s” hip-hop track into a Latin dance rhythm. Instead of just twerking, Lopez showed off her true dance chops.
Although J.Lo’s supposed comeback album, June’s A.K.A., failed to outsell the slew of new pop princesses who released albums this year, Lopez’s command of the stage Sunday night proved that the former In Living Color ”Fly Girl” dancer still ranks among pop music’s best performers.
On Monday, Iggy reissues her award-winning album, The New Classic, as Reclassified. The set includes five new songs, “Beg for It,” “Trouble" featuring Jennifer Hudson, "Heavy Crown" featuring Ellie Goulding, "IGGY SZN,” and “We in This B-tch.” She posted lyrics to the new songs on her Facebook page:
