Rihanna accepts the Icon Award from her mother Monica Fenty (R) and presenter Bill Maher at the 41st American Music Awards in Los Angeles, California November 24, 2013.
Missing out on the coveted Artist of the Year prize, Rihanna hardly left the American Music Awards empty-handed, bagging Soul/R&B Female and being honored with the first ever Icon Award.
“I can’t believe that at 25 years old, I’m holding an Icon Award,” she said in her acceptance speech, according to the Associated Press. Then she went on to describe how her constant singing as a child disrupted her neighborhood. “I annoyed every one of my neighbors.”
Joining Rihanna on stage, her mother Monica Fenty held a very heartfelt speech. “I applaud you and admire you for being so strong and so positive and so humble and so focused,” she gushed.
Peer praise followed the motherly pride, with artists like Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige feting RiRi, and Justin Timberlake even complimenting the elder Fenty. “Can we talk about how cute Rihanna’s mom is,” quipped Timberlake while accepting one of his three gongs from the night.
Possibly, even Rihanna’s old Barbados neighbors forgave her adolescent wailing this evening.
[AP]