It’s a Pink party! The 43-year-old star accepted the 2023 iHeartRadio Icon Award at the iHeartRadio Music Awards on March 27 following a powerful performance including some of music’s biggest artists. After a heartfelt introduction from Kelly Clarkson, the iconic wife-husband duo of Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo paid tribute to the “So What” hitmaker by singing her hit, “Just Like a Pill”. Kelly, 40, took over with a beautiful rendition of “Just Give Me A Reason”, and Pink surprised fans by joining her in the chorus and then finishing off the song. The Icon Award recipient finished off the medley with a stunning performance of “What About Us.”
THEM. #iHeartAwards2023 pic.twitter.com/D9SwNhTg6r
— FOX (@FOXTV) March 28, 2023
Upon accepting her award, Pink gave a touching speech about how lucky she felt to be on stage and how she uses her vulnerability to make music. “Thank you iHeart[Radio] for this moment. It has been said that miracles are often associated with icons. Kelly Clarkson singing with me, and Pat Benatar singing one of my songs, two of the greatest voices alive, being on stage, doing what I love with people that I love with all of my heart — and my babies in the audience — this feels like a Christmas miracle,” she began.
“Every room I walk into, my heart walks in first. Every lyric that I write is my heart crying, raging hoping, screaming, pleading,” she continued. “You have watched me do this, sifting through life’s messiness for almost 25 years. Some of you find what I do annoying, and some of you find it brave, and I just find it necessary.”
“Vulnerability means the ability to be wounded. I have decided to make vulnerability my life’s work, and for those of you that have joined me on this adventure, I thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Pink added, wrapping up her speech. “I’m grateful to be alive. I’m grateful I get to do this with my one precious life. Most of all, Willow and Jameson, I’m grateful to be your mama.” Last year, Jennifer Lopez accepted the Icon Award, and before that, it went to Elton John.
Before the iconic star hit the stage with Pat, Neil, and Kelly, she opened up the show with an energetic performance of her single, “TRUSTFALL”, which had her singing her heart out on a tiered stage with aerial acrobats spinning and twirling around her. As seen below, donned had a super fun outfit for the extra fun performance, which consisted of a dress that featured a ruffled pink and purple skirt and a black crewneck top.
WOW cannot get over that KILLER performance by @Pink 😍 Would trust her with my life 😩😩 #iHeartAwards2023 #livemusic pic.twitter.com/TUTkXArwka
— iHeartRadio Canada (@iHeartRadioCA) March 28, 2023
She teased her performance during her red carpet interview with iHeartRadio and said she will have “four new characters on stage” with her, who will also be joining her on her upcoming tour. When asked if she will be doing some of her signature aerial stunts, she replied, “I am the only one there this time that’s safe.”
Pink made her entrance on the red carpet for the event wearing a white blazer and matching pleated maxi skirt. The white stood out on her tanned skin, and she accessorized with a silver necklace and earrings. She also shared the carpet with her kids she shares with her husband, Carey Hart: daughter Willow Hart, 11, and her son, Jameson Hart, 6. As seen below, Willow rocked a pink dress that featured a sparkling overlay on top and a ruffled skirt while Jameson looked handsome in gray slacks and a matching vest he wore over a white tee. Willow paired black combat boots with her sweet dress, while Jameson donned white sneakers.
Pink is certainly having a fantastic start to the year, which will only get more exciting for her. She is kicking off her North American stadium tour in July, which is the biggest tour of her career. Called the Summer Carnival 2023 tour, it will start at the Rogers Centre in Toronto and finish up in October with 21 shows in total. Her opening acts include Brandi Carlile, Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, Grouplove, and DJ KidCutUp.
The Grammy Award-winning artist released her ninth studio album, TRUSTFALL, in February which includes the singles “Never Gonna Not Dance Again”, which she dropped in Nov. 2022, and “Trustfall”, which was out this year. The album TRUSTFALL is the follow-up to her 2019 project Hurts 2B Human.
“I took time. I had time and I had a lot of really devastating things happen,” she explained of her writing process for her new album while appearing on Good Morning America in November. “My son and I got really sick with COVID. That sort of distilled down for me what actually matters. And it takes a crisis to do that. It takes your kids getting sick to be like, ‘Okay, none of this matters. I wanna see my kids grow up. That’s what I want.’ I want to only put truth into the world. I want to only be authentic. And I want to be kinder and a better person.”
Pink also lost her father, Jim Moore, between her last two albums, which also influenced her writing. “I just started making music and making — speaking in melody,” she recalled. “And it came together… My album is a piece of me, and I think that I am an example of how you can live authentically and fearlessly, in ways.”
She said TRUSTFALL is her favorite project to date during her iHeartRadio Awards red carpet interview. “I put it on and I listen to it from start to finish and I feel better and it feels like it goes by really fast,” she gushed. “There’s not a single song I would skip … it’s in my heart in my soul.”