Garth Brooks To Receive Icon Award at Billboard Music Awards

Brooks is “flattered” and “humbled” by the honor.

Lauren Jo Black

| Posted on

February 26, 2020

10:05 am

Garth Brooks; Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Garth Brooks will soon add another accolade to his already impressive resume when he is presented with the Icon Award at the upcoming Billboard Music Awards.

The news was revealed Wednesday morning (Feb. 26) on NBC’s TODAY Show where Brooks appeared in a pre-taped clip reacting to the news and announcing his performance on the show.

“I’m gonna be lucky enough to perform and pick up a little thing called the Icon Award,” the superstar shared in the clip. “I’m flattered. I’m humbled. This is gonna be fun.”

Garth Brooks, a 19-time Billboard Music Award winner, is one of only nine artists to ever receive the prestigious award, following Cher, Neil Diamond, Celine Dion, Jennifer Lopez, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey.

The “Dive Bar” singer remains the best-selling artist in U.S. history, with over 156 million albums sold. He is the only artist in history to have eight albums certified diamond, each one selling more than 10 million copies.

The 2020 Billboard Music Awards will air live from Las Vegas on Wednesday, April 29, at 8 pm ET/PT. Kelly Clarkson will return to host the show.

Written by

Lauren Jo Black

Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.