Rod Stewart isn’t short of achievements. The spiky-haired crooner has done it all – chart-toppers, sell-out tours, raucous debauchery, tearjerking ballads, the works. But even he didn’t see this one coming.
At the 2025 American Music Awards, the 80-year-old icon took home the Lifetime Achievement Award – a title so on-the-nose it almost undersells how absurdly enduring his career has been. But it wasn’t just the trophy or the ovation that left Stewart stunned. It was who handed it to him.
Five of his children – Kimberly, Sean, Ruby, Renee, and Liam – emerged from the wings like the last-minute twist in a prestige drama. Stewart’s reaction? Pure, unfiltered disbelief. “I’m absolutely flabbergasted. I didn’t know they were here,” he said, visibly emotional and visibly thrown. It was genuine. It was unscripted. And it was perfect.
Then, in classic Rod fashion, the reverence lasted all of two seconds before the cheek made its entrance: “I’ve got eight [children] altogether… I didn’t have a television.” Followed by, “Ugly aren’t they? All of them.” This wasn’t some polished awards show patter. This was a man falling back on humour because he was too moved to process the moment any other way.
With the statuette in hand and a grin threatening to outshine the lights, Stewart reflected on the journey: “When I started singing in the early ’60s, well before all of you lot were here, the reason I got into it [was] because I had this burning ambition to sing.” And in the most un-rockstar admission of the night: “I didn’t want to be rich or famous.” You almost believe him.
He paid homage to his heroes – Sam Cooke, David Ruffin – and the countless musicians who helped shape a back catalogue that now spans more decades than most people’s lives. And still, the most important note? His family. “I’m so overwhelmed that you’re here. Jesus Christ.”
Then, of course, came Forever Young. A song that now hits harder, means more, and lands as the final flourish in a night that reminded us all why Rod Stewart is, without question, still the real deal.
Genuinely heartfelt. Unapologetically daft. And, for once, beautifully caught off guard.
