Cher turns back time at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards on Sunday, as she performed her classic hits “Believe” and “Turn Back Time”, even wearing costume similar to her famous 1989 music video. This performance marks the pop superstar’s first awards show appearance in 15 years, E! News reports.
The famed singer was also honored with the coveted Icon Award at the event. Gwen Stefani introduced Cher, rocking a skin-toned bodysuit and diamond-encrusted silver beaded strands that gave her a racy, nearly nude appearance as she performed her hit song.
The “Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves” Gwen said, who called out the three-time Billboard Music Award winner’s trail-blazing career, style and voice, and thanking the superstar for, “teaching us how to be true to ourselves.”
During her acceptance speech, the 71-year-old singer thank her mother who told her when she was a little girl that she was special.
“I’ve wanted to do what I do since I was four years old, and I’ve been doing it for 53 years,” Cher said. “I want to thank my mom, because when I was young my mom said, ‘You’re not gonna be the smartest, you’re not gonna be the prettiest, you’re not gonna be the most talented. But you’re gonna be special.”
“Then, when I met Sonny (Bono), he said the same thing. And there was really nothing about me that really lead anyone to believe that I was going to be special,” she continued while laughing.
“I think luck has so much to do with my success,” she added. “I think it was mostly luck and a little bit of something thrown in.”
Cher, who has been one of the most defining voices in music for over six decades, was the first artist to have one of her songs reach the top spot on a Billboard chart in every decade from the 1960s up to the 2010s.
The music legend released her hit single “Believe” in 1998, on her 22nd studio album of the same name. The song became a worldwide hit and is one of the highest-selling singles of all time with over 11 million copies sold.
Of the prestigious award, Cher previously told E! News, “I’m honored to receive the 2017 Billboard Music Awards Icon Award and take the stage to celebrate my love of music with my fans.”
“Seeing so many powerful artists—especially female artists—emerge and take their place in history through the years has been incredible. I’m honored to be amongst the previous Icon Award winners and to celebrate this milestone achievement by performing ‘Believe’ on the show,” she continued.
Previous winners of the award, which was introduced in 2011, include Prince, Stevie Wonder, Neil Diamond, Jennifer Lopez and Celine Dion, who performed her 1997 hit “My Heart Will Go On.”
“Cher’s incredible talent has inspired both audiences and other artists for more than six decades,” Allen Shapiro, CEO of Dick Clark productions, said. “Her impact on the industry has been monumental and unlike any other.”
Cher revealed she’s “not a Cher fan” during a recent interview with Billboard Magazine.
Cher shared that she’s somewhat ashamed of her early hits, like “Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves,” “Half-Breed” and “Dark Lady,” and confessed that she actually hates “Believe.” She said it was a “nightmare” recording the song and recalled how she eventually walked out of the studio, which is the reason for her heavily Auto-Tuned vocals.