In addition to the many female artists and executives honored at the Billboard Women in Music Awards this year, several women have been selected by Billboard outlets around the world to receive recognition as Global Forces in the industry.
Spanning Argentina, Brazil, China, Georgia, Italy and the Philippines, these visionaries are singers, songwriters, instrumentalists and producers making groundbreaking contributions to the music industry. Each of them will be spotlighted at the Thursday (March 7) Women in Music ceremony, presented by Marriott Bonvoy and hosted by Tracee Ellis Ross at the YouTube Theatre in Los Angeles.
The event’s billing also includes Karol G, Billboard’s 2024 Woman of the Year as well as this year’s Powerhouse honoree, Charli XCX, Hitmaker prizewinner Ice Spice and Icon titleholder Kylie Minogue. Maren Morris will accept the Visionary award, NewJeans will take home Group of the Year presented by Coke Studio, PinkPantheress is Producer of the Year presented by Bose and Tems is 2024’s Breakthrough star.
Plus, Victoria Monet will be honored with the Rising Star title presented by Honda, and Young Miko will receive the Impact Award from American Express.
Fans can watch the show at 5pm PT/8pm ET March 7 at billboardwomeninmusic.com.
Ready to meet the seven women who are Billboard’s 2024 Global Force honorees? Keep reading to learn more about Sherine Abdel-Wahab, Annalisa, Maria Becerra, Sarah Geronimo, Nini Nutsubidze, Tia Ray and Luísa Sonza below. You can see photos of all the stars on the 2024 Billboard Women in Music red carpet here.
When Billboard Arabia launched its own Hot 100 ranking in December, Sherine Abdel-Wahab became the first artist to go No. 1 on the chart thanks to her song “Kalam Eneih.”
Sometimes known mononymously as Sherine, the Egyptian singer-actress released her debut album Garh Tany in 2003. She served as a coach on the Arabic version of The Voice for three seasons.
Annalisa is one of Italy’s most established recording artists, making her debut in 2011 with her first album Nali after rising to fame on the singing competition show Amici di Maria De Filippi the year prior. More than a decade later, she’s fresh off the release of her eighth LP E Poi Siamo Finiti Nel Vortice, which dropped in September.
A singer who sometimes dips her toes into acting, Annalisa was named one of Forbes Italia’s 100 most successful women in 2023.
At just 23 years old, Maria Becerra is one of Latin music’s biggest rising stars. After first breaking through with her 2019 EP 222, the singer has gone on to collaborate with J Balvin, Becky G, Enrique Iglesias and more.
In 2021, she released her debut album Animal, which earned her a Latin Grammy nod for best urban music album. She followed the project up with La Nena De Argentina the next year.
Dubbed “Popstar Royalty” by Billboard Philippines, Sarah Geronimo got her big break after winning the singing competition series Star for a Night back in 2003. Since then, she’s released a number of albums, one of which, The Breakup Playlist soundtrack with Piolo Pascual, reached No. 9 on the World Albums chart in 2015.
Also known for singles such as “Tala” and “Kilometro,” Geronimo returned to the TV competition circuit in 2013 by joining the Philippines’ version of The Voice – this time as a coach rather than a contestant.
Just two months into 2024, Nini Nutsubidze has already released two singles — “Nana Sh-t” and “Lutecia (Girl, You’re Gold)” — as well as a three-track EP titled Paper Planes. Before those came tracks like “Gamodi,” “Loving You,” “Paradise” and “Chemtvis.”
Nutsubidze blends Georgian culture with experimental electronic production.
Tia Ray first cut through the noise by competing on China’s version of The Voice, two years after which she released her first solo album T.I.A. Her latest LP, Allure, arrived in December.
Born and raised in Huaihua, West Hunan, the singer-songwriter’s bread and butter is Chinese soul music. “I yearn for freedom, and I pursue passion and things that allow me to imagine,” she told Billboard China. “The flexibility, openness, tension and diversity of soul music make me feel free.”
Luísa Sonza is the only Brazilian being honored at this year’s Women in Music. A chart-topping musician in her home country, the 25-year-old singer-songwriter has collaborated with Demi Lovato, Marshmello and Katy Perry, to name a few.
“It’s very surreal,” she tells Billboard Brasil. “I would never have expected it, but I’m very happy to represent Brazil and that they look to Brazilian artists.”
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