Ciara Gets the Crowd Dancing With 'Melanin' Performance at 2019 American Music Awards

gettyimages-1189838694.jpg
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for dcp

The 34-year-old singer was the host with the most this Sunday.

Ciara didn't just host the 2019 American Music Awards -- she also performed at the awards show on Sunday. 

The 34-year-old singer surprised both the crowd at Los Angeles' Microsoft Theater and viewers at home when she took the stage to perform her new song, "Melanin." The track, featuring Lupita Nyong'o, Ester Dean, City Girls and La La, got the audience -- including Carrie Underwood -- on their feet. 

Ciara owned the stage, whipping out her incredible dance skills (and La La and Dean) for a high-energy performance before introducing herself as host, earning rave reviews from her kids. 

Kevin Winter/Getty Images for dcp
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for dcp

Ciara dished on the new song while speaking with ET on Thursday. "My girl, Lupita Nyong'o, she drops bars. This is the first time that troublemaker made her appearance, so it's crazy," she said. 

"I'm just starting off with that and then my good friend, La La [Anthony]. She's never dropped bars on a track before either, so there's a lot of first times on this," Ciara continued. "Then also, I have my other friends, The City Girls, drop some fire on this record. So it is girl power, melanin queen power happening on this record and I'm so honored and so proud of it. The energy is crazy. It's energy, tempo, that good old 808, Miami base songs. It's just so good. I'm excited."

The mom of two promised serious girl power during the show -- but played coy when asked if that meant she'd hit the stage with her own song. 

"A host never tells it all," she teased. "But, it's definitely going to be a [great night]. I'm going to give everyone in the house a treat. I'm going to give my fans a treat on the day of the show. But I can't say what it's going to be. But I'm super excited about it!"

See more in the video below. 

RELATED CONTENT: