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The American Music Awards are merging together two iconic voices for a performance of diva-sized proportions.
ABC and Dick Clark Productions announced Monday Christina Aguilera will take the stage at the upcoming ceremony to honor Whitney Houston with a commemorative tribute in honor of the 25th anniversary of The Bodyguard‘s release on Nov. 25, 1992.
Aguilera, who will be introduced to the AMAs stage by actress Viola Davis, will belt tunes lifted from the popular film’s accompanying soundtrack, which has sold more than 45 million copies worldwide to become the best-selling movie album of all time. Houston’s interpretation of Dolly Parton’s 1974 hit “I Will Always Love You” ultimately became the LP’s most successful cut, spending 14 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 before settling in as a career-defining single among Houston’s already prolific discography.
“I am excited, honored and humbled to perform a tribute to one of my idols,” Aguilera wrote on Instagram shortly after the news broke.
She added in a press release: “To be honoring THE one and only, Whitney Houston, is a blessing and I am grateful to celebrate the spirit of her songs and legend that lives on. I feel eternally fortunate to have personally met her on and off the stage. My deep appreciation for her kindness to me while coming up in the business – her graciousness, generosity, humanity and beauty – lived up to everything I could have hoped for in meeting my idol and will forever be cherished in my memory of her.”
Houston’s estate also issued a statement on the announcement, which thanked Aguilera while noting “Whitney herself stated in 2001 that Christina Aguilera sang the best version of her song ‘Run To You’” and that “Whitney said that Christina is without a doubt one of the best voices she enjoyed in this generation of music.”
Aguilera was originally slated to pay tribute to Houston’s legacy on the spring 2016 season finale of The Voice, though the performance— which would have featured Aguilera duetting with a Houston hologram for a medley of the latter’s hits — was canceled just before the episode’s broadcast.
The American Music Awards — also set to feature performances from Diana Ross and Selena Gomez — air Sunday, Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
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