Queen Latifah is excited about two major events: her induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and hosting the American Music Awards.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, she said the Hall of Fame honor feels more meaningful with every call she gets.
“I’m excited about it, and I’m getting more excited because there’s so many different family members and friends who’ve heard about it that are calling from all over the place,” she said. “I always know when it’s something different when I get calls from every direction.”
Queen added that the recognition is more than a personal achievement.
“It’s not just a small thing that means something to me. It really means something to a lot of different people,” she said. “I’m just fortunate that I’m in there.”
Queen is also looking forward to returning as host of the AMAs, 21 years after co-hosting the 1995 ceremony. She said she’s eager to watch the performances, noting, “Out of the millions of artists in the world, we are the ones that are going to have this stage and be able to perform in front of the world. I know they’re all going to try to knock it out of the park. I want to see what tricks they’ve got up their sleeves and who’s just in the zone.”
Queen also enjoys watching younger artists learn from veteran performers.
“I like to see the younger artists watch the artists who’ve been around the block a few times do it,” she said. “There’s a certain comfort level when you’ve been rocking shows like this for a while. … You get to take a little tidbit here and there that you can keep and use for yourself and make sure you’re one of these longevity artists 30 years from now doing the same thing.”
The American Music Awards air live on CBS and stream on Paramount+ May 25 at 7 p.m. CT.
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