Women’s History Month kicked off strong with three Spanish-speaking artists being honored at the 2023 Billboard Women in Music awards on March 1 in Los Angeles.
Rosalía received the first-ever producer of the year award, presented by Bose, where she expressed that women winning awards for being behind the scenes is unusual; Becky G was awarded the impact award, where she opened up about following her dreams as a 200 percenter (100 percent Latina and 100 percent American); and Ivy Queen was honored with the icon award — becoming the first reggaetónera to receive this merit — where she talked about her battles of finding a spot in the male-dominated reggaetón genre.
What’s even more remarkable about these three women in music is that in addition to each leading their individual successful careers, they’re all about supporting their female colleagues, best seen in their collaborations.
For International Women’s Day, celebrated each year on March 8, Billboard compiled 21 powerful collabs between Latin female artists. The list includes unapologetic bangers, such as iLe and Ivy Queen’s latest track “Algo Bonito” and Ptazeta and Villano Antillano’s “Mujerón,” as well as ultimate breakup songs, such as Becky G and Karol G’s “MAMIII,” and of course Karol’s Shakira-assisted “TQG.” There’s also a couple of joints that are all about reflection and finding your self-worth after a toxic relationship, such as Kany García and Mon Laferte’s “Se Portaba Mal” and India and Goyo’s “Nubes Negras.”
Check out the full list, in alphabetical order by the artist’s first name, below:
Because two were not enough, Aitana and Ana Guerra recruited Tini and Greeicy on their 2018 track to add more girl power to their collab “Lo Malo.” The pop-urban song is about a woman who’s not settling for a bad boy.
Real-life BFFs Amandititita and Sandra Echeverría joined forces on “De Mejores Corazones Me Han Corrido,” about “a woman who doesn’t allow herself to be defeated by a failed relationship,” according to a previous Billboard interview with Amandititita.
Regional Mexican Queens Ana Bárbara and Paquita la del Barrio joined forces to deliver the ultimate advice you can offer to a friend: “Whoever deceives me, I’ll deceive them/ Whoever hits me, I’ll hit them/ Whoever uses me, I’ll use them/ And so we were even,” — in other words, an eye for an eye.
Set up as what appears to be a spiteful song, the first-ever collab between the two G’s — produced by Ovy on the Drums — quickly takes a turn, transitioning into a bouncy, uptempo anthem about the empowerment that comes after letting go of a toxic relationship.
In 2018, Becky G and Natti Natasha took the reins and unapologetically sang about sex, weed, and booty calls, sending the message that it’s OK for women to talk about these topics.
With this collab, Chiquis breaks down what it actually means to be such a free spirit. “She’s someone who doesn’t necessarily break the rules, but bends them a little bit,” she previously told Billboard. “We just like to party and enjoy life.”
For the remix of her single “La Ducha,” Elena Rose reeled in some of her collaborators — Maria Becerra, Greeicy, Becky G, and TINI — for a steamy track about sexy alone time in the bathroom while thinking of that special someone. The track even samples Becky’s own 2014 hit “Shower.”
Santiago artists Flor and Rosenthal’s “Bailalo Mujer” is a danceable pop-urban track about lifting, supporting, and rooting for each other. “In our philosophy, we’re all equal/ And with respect we build realities/ We don’t believe in monarchies, that’s why we’re all queens here,” sings Rosenthal.
As part of their first-ever joint Versus Tour five years ago, ’90s rock divas Gloria Trevi and Alejandra Guzman dropped “Mas Buena,” a song about a woman whose life only got better after her relationship was over.
In the very potent “Dime Algo Bonito” (Tell Me Something Nice), Puerto Rican songstresses iLe and Ivy Queen not only demand respect but also belt unapologetic verses against machismo. “I have never believed that quiet I look prettier/ When I spit it’s like fire and acid,” sings Ivy.
With potent vocals and fierce lyricism, this salsa-infused urban track is an anthem for women who were once victims of domestic abuse but have found their liberty and self-worth — hence “no more dark clouds since you left” in the chorus.
One of Kany García’s biggest gems from her 2020 duets album Mesa Para Dos is “Se Portaba Mal (She Misbehaved),” sung in collaboration with Chilean singer-songwriter Mon Laferte — an eye-opening and compassionate look at domestic violence victims.
In their first collaborative effort, Colombian superstars Karol G & Shakira dropped “TQG” (Te Quedo Grande) in February, a sultry reggaetón jam bout a woman who only got stronger, leveled up and had a major glow-up after a breakup.
Three years ago, Spain’s Lola Indigo recruited Mexico’s Danna Paola and Chile’s Denise Rosenthal to showcase their powerhouse vocals and fierce attitude in “Santería,” an empowering bop for strong, independent women who take control.
“I feel that it’s necessary to end the stigma that girls don’t collaborate because they are competitive and they are rivals,” Natti previously told Billboard of her ultra-girl-power collab with Farina, Cazzu, and newcomer La Duraca. “We made this happen and we need to keep the women’s movement at the top.”
An electro-trap-perreo track made by women for women, “Mujerón” — which loosely translates to “too much woman” — is an ode to those badass girls who are independent, confident and date on their own terms.
Reyes and Becerra joined forces on the galactic reggaetón banger “Marte,” off of Reyes’ sophomore album Mal de Amores, which is a friendly reminder that women should never tolerate toxicity.
As someone who’s always supported the new wave of Latina artists, Thalía teamed up with Mexican newcomer Kenia OS earlier this month for “Para No Verte Más,” a sugary pop version of La Mosca’s 1999 rock hit. The song is about ripping up every photo and memory of an ex, in order to never see them again.
A catchy cumbia villera meshed with EDM, the Steve Aoki-assisted track finds Argentine artists TINI and La Joaqui singing about the single life. “This song represents the importance that all my friends are to me, and it’s a way of motivating myself to love again,” TINI previously said to Billboard.
This infectious dembow released in 2021 finds Tokischa and Rosalia singing about two friends who like to party together — and here and there, pop a kiss, because “you’re pretty, I’m wild, we kiss but we’re homies.”
For the first time, Mexican sweethearts Yuridia and Angela Aguilar joined forces on “Qué Agonía,” a heartfelt ranchera where both admit their own faults in a failed relationship — but recognize that they still love their ex and are asking for forgiveness.