Ricky Martin to Make History at 2025 MTV VMAs

Puerto Rican singer-songwriter and actor Ricky Martin will make MTV VMAs history by becoming the first ever artist to receive the annual show’s Latin Icon award. 

Twenty-six years after he became the first male Latin artist to win best pop video and bag the most awards of the night at the show, Martin will once again take the stage to perform and accept his award.

The multi-Grammy and Latin Grammy-winning artist performed “Livin’ la Vida Loca” for the VMAs the same year it was nominated for video of the year at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards, becoming the first Latin artist in history to receive a nomination in this category. It won a total of five awards at the ceremony.

Martin has recorded music that spans Latin pop, dance, reggaeton, salsa, and other genres. 

Born in San Juan, Martin began appearing in television commercials at age nine and began his musical career as a member of Puerto Rican boy band Menudo.

The 2025 ceremony is set to air live on CBS September 7. Lady Gaga is the frontrunner for awards, as the singer racked up a leading 12 nods in nominations. Gaga’s dozen nominations are followed by 11 for Bruno Mars, 10 for Kendrick Lamar, eight apiece for Sabrina Carpenter and Rose, and seven each for Ariana Grande and the Weeknd.

The show will air live in all time zones on Sept. 7, starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 PT. It’s the second year in a row the telecast broadcasting from New York’s UBS Arena.