Given her contributions to the music industry and pop culture in her over six-decade-long career, Cher was rightfully honoured with the “Icon Award” at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards on April 1. The music luminary is the only female artist ever to notch No. 1 on the Billboard charts in every one of the last seven decades, as noted by Meryl Steep in her introduction speech for the singer.
When the Oscar-winning actor and Grammy-winning singer took the stage, she had some words for the haters. “There are people who say, ‘Doesn’t that b-tch have more than one pair of pants?’” she said laughing while sporting a pair of Chrome Hearts pants. “I’ve had these pants for 40 years. I thought we should come here and accept this award together.”
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Cher’s Speech
Speaking to her longevity, Cher said she felt “lucky to have people that have stayed with me all these years,” while acknowledging that most of them weren’t born when her career began as part of Sonny & Cher in the ‘60s.
“I don’t usually talk about it, but I have been down and out so many times you could not believe it,” the legend admitted. “Dropped by record companies, couldn’t get a job… they said, ‘Oh, she’s so over.’ But I never gave up my dream.” Cher then went on to serenade the viewers with a rendition of her Grammy-winning song Believe, along with Jennifer Hudson.
Meryl Streep’s Ode To Cher
Meryl Streep, who honoured Cher with the ‘Icon Award’, spoke affectionately about her famous friend at the event. “When I think of Cher, I think of her giant heart. How open it is. How battered it is. And how strong it is. How she leads with her heart in everything she does. In her acting, her singing, her dancing, her dressing. She puts it all out there. It’s brought her lots of prestigious awards. But it has pulled her to work on behalf of our veterans and for LQBTQ rights and for many, many more” she said.
Meryl Streep presented the award to Cher, saying, “You know that Cher has had a No. 1 record in every one of the last seven decades. She’s the only woman in U.S. history to have done that. What does it take to have those kinds of legs, right? We all want to know. It’s not 15 minutes of fame anymore. You’re lucky to get seven seconds of somebody’s fractured attention — never mind seven decades.”
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As Cher receives the iHeartRadio Icon Award, she’s also a contender for induction into the prestigious Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She’s currently in fifth place in the fan vote with about 272,000 votes, per Music Times. Cher is closely trailing other music legends like Dave Matthews Band, Foreigner, Ozzy Osbourne, and Peter Frampton, in the race for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
May Cher continue to enthral us with her stunning and melodious voice while belting out even more No. 1s!
