Queen Latifah made her triumphal return to the American Music Awards AMAs stage.
Held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Monday, May 25, she first hosted with Tom Jones and Lorrie Morgan in 1995.
“That was big then. So I’m really like, ‘What is happening?’” Latifah told PEOPLE. “I feel pretty good about it. I’m nervous. And I’m excited.”
Latifah shared how she loves that the fans get to choose the winners.
“I know it’s going to be great just because of the people that are performing and that this is a fan-favorite show. The fans get to pick who they want to see and who they think should win,” said Latifah. “This is always something that really comes back to the people. And I’m going to make sure that the people feel good about what they’re seeing and hearing.”
Latifah also shared who she was excited to see perform.
“I ain’t going to lie, I want to see the Pussycat Dolls with Busta Rhymes,” Latifiah said. “I think that’s going to tear the house down because I know Busta, and then The Pussycat Dolls, they get down, they sing, they dance, they light the stage up.”
“These shows are there to honor people and celebrate people, and the people are there. So I think the combination of it all is what makes it so exciting. I’m the host, so I’m just the guide on this journey,” Latifiah continued. “I’m just happy to be part of it, and I want to make sure it happens as fluidly as possible so we get this show in the can and say, ‘Yes, we did that. There it is. It’s done. It was crazy. We went there, and we got it done.’”
During the ceremony, BTS won Artist of the Year, Song of the Summer for “SWIM”, and Best Male K-Pop Artist. Sabrina Carpenter won for Album of the Year (for Man’s Best Friend), Best Female Pop Artist, and Best Pop Album. KATSEYE won New Artist of the Year, Breakthrough Pop Artist, and Best Music Video for “Gnarly.”