From one Woman of the Year to another! In a night of epic moments from epic superstars, two women who have received the highest honor at the Billboard Women in Music Awards shone especially bright.
First up was a surprise appearance from Katy Perry, who was honored as our Woman of the Year at the 2012 ceremony and was on hand at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, Calif., on Wednesday night (March 6) to present the Executive of the Year Award to her longtime label boss Michelle Jubelirer. “She has been a beacon for artists, nurturing their talents and supporting their personal growth,” Perry said of the former Capitol Music Group CEO/chair. “She heard me, she saw me, she created space for me, even supported me through my journey of motherhood.”
And then the final performer and honoree of the night was our 2024 Woman of the Year, Karol G, who cemented her new title with a 13-woman performance that included dancers, brass players, percussionists, singers and more in all white reimagining her reggaeton hit “Amargura” as a salsa jam session.
In her acceptance speech to end the night, Karol G said (translated from Spanish): “I’m really just standing here to say that just like I did, all of you can do it too. And never, never give someone else the authority to decide on your own decisions, to say whether something you are doing is bad or good, has value or has no value. No one can put value on you as a person, not as a woman, not as a professional. It is you yourself who works for it, sweats for it, gets it and earns it.”
But Katy and Karol were just the tip of the iceberg: Below, find the best moments from the 2024 Billboard Women in Music Awards.
After her “On My Mama” performance was introduced by JoJo, a surprise presenter hit the stage to give Victoria Monét her Rising Star Award: Her very own mama. “Hi, I’m L’Tanya Chestang-Cubit, also known as Mommy Monét … [and] tonight is a testament to your remarkable abilities,” L’Tanya told her beaming daughter, who marveled in her speech: “It’s one thing to receive an award, but to receive it from someone you’ve known your whole life is really awesome.”
The YouTube Theater crowd definitely played favorites as artists were either mentioned or were spotted in the crowd (with our Woman of the Year Karol G especially drawing a lot of cheers). But no fanbase was louder than NewJeans’ Bunnies, who made themselves known throughout the night — mostly from the balcony, but judging by the light sticks in the lower level, they were everywhere. “Reflecting back on the past two years, we’ve been so incredibly blessed,” Danielle said during NewJeans’ Group of the Year acceptance speech. “We got to experience so many new and exciting things. It’s just been the best year. All of these things wouldn’t be possible without you guys, Bunnies!”
As she hit the stage to accept her Producer of the Year Award, PinkPantheress climbed the stairs opposite from where presenter Coco Jones waited with the prize, meaning the U.K. artist had a great distance to travel. She didn’t hesitate to jog across the stage, leaving her winded for her acceptance speech. “I was at university in a dorm room – oh, my heart’s beating really quickly! – when I decided there was no way graduating university was going to make me happy in the long run,” she said breathlessly, even dropping an unintended pun.
In accepting her Visionary Award, Maren Morris made sure to thank the inner circle of women who helped her through a roller coaster of a year, which saw her breaking ties with the country music community and going through a divorce from fellow artist Ryan Hurd, her husband of more than five years. “I would not have been able to survive this past year of my life,” she said. “Not to get too serious, but this year has been a lot, and the women in my life have truly banded around me and held me upright.”
Charli XCX showed just why she was receiving the Powerhouse Award when she live-debuted an emotional new song on the Women in Music stage. “This song is about a person who’s really, really special to me who’s no longer with us,” XCX announced ahead of the performance. “It’s called ‘So I.’” The song is dedicated to late producer SOPHIE, who died in January 2021 and with whom Charli is credited for creating the hyper-pop genre, along with producer A.G. Cook.
Ahead of collecting her Global Force Award, Brazilian singer Luísa Sonza surprised the crowd with an unannounced Demi Lovato appearance. The pop star popped up to join Sonza for their “Penhasco2” duet. “First of all, thank you Demi Lovato for [joining] me,” Sonza said following the performance, which also included an English/Portuguese version of her song “Chico.” “I’m a Brazilian singer, I mostly sing in Portuguese, so this is so crazy, and I’m so nervous right now.”
Tems received the Breakthrough Award, and she’s ready to help every woman have her breakthrough moment, by realizing that we’re all in this together. “I really want to use this opportunity to say to all the women in the room, in the world, that no matter what you’re going through, you should know you’re not alone,” Tems said in her acceptance speech. “So even when you’re sad, even when you’re angry, there’s someone that’s angry, too. So uplift everybody around you because they need that like you and somebody’s there for you. It’s the women that got the women, trust me.”
A lot was made of all the incredible achievements of the night’s honorees, but Icon Award recipient Kylie Minogue wanted to make sure to remember “all the times that were not peak moments. They were no fun. But those challenges, the lows, the stuff we’ve gotta get through sometimes, I wanted to give a big shout-out to all the terrible times. Thank you for teaching us. They were horrendous in the moment, but they happen, and it’s how we navigate them and what we do with them. I’m not looking forward to the next one, but it will come.”
Billboard’s 2024 Woman of the Year Karol G stuck to the night’s empowering theme by inviting an all-female band of dancers, singers and instrumentalists to join her for a salsa rendition of her 2023 hit “Amargura.” There were 13 performers in total onstage, including Gloria and Emilio Estefan’s daughter Emily Estefan on drums. Everyone was dressed in all white for the moving performance, which put the Colombian superstar’s talent and charm on full display by stripping down to basics. She understood the assignment.