Ricky Martin to receive inaugural Latin Icon Award at 2025 VMAs

Ricky Martin, the Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, and actor, was honoured with the Latin Icon Award on Sunday, September 7, at the 2025 MTV VMAs. The award recognises his decades-long journey and struggle to bring Latin music and culture to the global mainstream.

The Latin Icon Award was a brand-new award created by MTV, and Ricky Martin was the very first person to receive it. This shows his importance to the Latin music genre.

During the award speech, he thanked everyone and said, “Thank you so much for your love, I don’t even know where to start. This is very simple. This is for you all. I am addicted to your applause. That’s why I keep coming back. It’s you, not only here in America, but all of the world.”

He also talked about his long career and his goal of uniting countries and breaking boundaries through music, “It’s been 40 years. I started when I was a baby, and we’re still here. We just want to unite countries, we just want to break boundaries. We just want to keep music alive.”

“Everything I do, I do it with you in my and in my heart.”

“And that’s it! I love you.”

Before accepting the award, Martin performed a high-energy medley of some of his most famous songs, including “The Cup of Life”, “Maria”, and “Living la Vida Loca.”

Jessica Simpson presented the award, who was an opening act for him on his 1999 tour. J Balvin also introduced him to the stage, praising him for being a trailblazer.

The MTV Video Music Awards is an annual award show to celebrate the best in music videos. The 2025 MTV VMAs ceremony was held at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York.

Who won the most VMAs in 2025

The biggest winner of the evening was Lady Gaga. She collected four awards, including Artist of the Year.