From J.Lo’s Jaw-Dropping Routine to Gloria’s Historic Comeback—Latinas Owned the 2025 AMAs
The 2025 AMAs opened with a performance that no one will soon forget. Jennifer Lopez, 55, hosted and performed a 23-song medley that was part nostalgia, part flex, and entirely iconic. She took the stage in a futuristic crystal-covered catsuit by Michael Ngo and danced through a VR-simulated world, flipping, kissing her dancers (yes, men and women), and executing backbends in heels.
She started with a few verses from “Dance Again,” then moved through some of the biggest hits of 2024 and 2025—from “Birds of a Feather” to “A Bar Song (Tipsy).” At one point, she dropped into a salsa groove to Bad Bunny’s “NUEVAYol,” and yes, she made it look effortless. People Magazine reported that she kissed two dancers during the performance, prompting Tiffany Haddish to joke on stage: “Save a dancer for me, J.Lo! Damn!”
Her six-minute marathon wasn’t just a performance. It was a message. At 55, Lopez reminded audiences that Latinas age with power and grace—and they dance circles around everyone while doing it.
JLo introduced Gloria Estefan at the 2025 AMAs with the reverence of a fan and the pride of a peer
Later, Lopez introduced another legend: Gloria Estefan. With decades in the industry, Estefan hadn’t performed at the AMAs in over 30 years. At 67, she returned to the stage with a medley that spanned four decades—from “Rhythm Is Gonna Get You” to her new single “La Vecina (No Sé Na),” ending, of course, with a celebratory take on “Conga.”
As Billboard reported, Estefan marked the 40th anniversary of “Conga” mid-performance by shouting, “Happy 40th birthday, ‘Conga!’ You know what? You still got it.”
Estefan danced with the Miami Sound Machine and made the BleauLive Theater feel like a block party. Lopez stood front row, dancing alongside Estefan’s husband Emilio. The moment felt generational—a Latina icon honoring the one who came before her.
The 2025 AMAs were a full-circle moment for Latinas in music
Lopez and Estefan’s connection ran deeper than just one night. Speaking to USA Today ahead of the show, Lopez said Estefan opened the door for so many Latin artists. “What exactly is a pioneer, right? Someone who opens the door and people’s consciousness to accept certain things,” Lopez said. “She definitely did that with her career for a lot of us Latin artists.”
Estefan, meanwhile, downplayed the idea of being a “custodian” of Latin music. But as she told USA Today, “It was our purpose when we worked with artists like Shakira and JLo to push the door open a little because we knew they could do it.”
She added, “Everybody always told us ‘no,’ so we wanted to give some yeses.”
