Billy Idol, the singer of Generation Xwill be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2026 American Music Awards.
While receiving the top honor at the 52nd AMAs held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Monday, May 25, the 70-year-old punk rocker took a moment to share his two cents with the young generation looking forward to starting a career in music.
When the English rock singer was presented with the award by Leon Thomas, Idol expressed his gratitude, saying, “Thank you, Leon. I remember the Black Rock Coalition. It really did a lot for a lot of people. Thank you to the American Music Awards for this honor. And most importantly, thank you to all the fans. I was able to make my dream come true and it’s really all thanks to you.”
Idol remembered his journey through early music and commented. “When I got into punk rock in 1976, we thought it would only last about six months, let alone fifty years. But we did it out of love and because music was the only thing that gave us some kind of sense of freedom, a sense of freedom.”
“We believed in what we were doing, and we thought that if we just dreamed in this life and gave it everything we had, it would all come back to us in spades. And that’s exactly what happened,” he continued.
The Eyes without a face hitmaker then shared his words of wisdom for aspiring musicians, saying, “So to any kid who loves rock ‘n’ roll or any music as much as Leon and I do, and if you’re inspired to create that sense of freedom and pursue a life of art, all I can say is: pick an instrument. Discover who you are and be it.”
Idol performed his hits to mark his milestone performance on the AMA stage, which marked his first-ever performance at the music awards show since 2004.
