BB Latinas Mujeres
Flaunting a ’60s-inspired dress and hairdo, Maria Becerra attended the inaugural Billboard Mujeres Latinas en la Música (Billboard Latin Women in Music), where she received the Visionary Award from newlyweds Lele Pons and Guaynaa.
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“First of all, I want to thank Billboard for this incredible recognition as a visionary. Thank you for joining so many talented women and for thinking of awards that recognize the effort and work all of us dedicate to our job each day,” she said during her speech on Sunday (May 7). “This tribute is not only for me. This award has a lot to do with the capacity to generate ideas, of not staying still for one second but also with a big team that accompanies and empowers everything I propose. Thank for you trusting in my vision and thank you for having a big vision as well, for your ideas, for your work, and for your love, above all. And I want to send a shout-out to all my colleagues and congratulate you for all your incredible work.”
Becerra, who started as a YouTuber as an adolescent and was later nominated for a Latin Grammy for best new artist in 2021, also took center stage to perform her uptempo urban-cumbia track “Adiós” joined by a nine-member band. “Adiós” reached the Top 10 on the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 chart.
Maria Becerra at Billboard Latin Women In Music held at the Watsco Center on May 6, 2023 in Coral Gables, Florida. The show airs on Sunday, May 7, 2023 on Telemundo.
Gustavo Caballero
For Becerra, receiving the Visionary Award represents having confidence in her project and being surrounded by a supportive team.
“I am a very active person, a person who shoots ideas, who wants to generate new concepts, who want to make new and different genres,” she previously told Billboard. “I think it goes more on that side, in the sense of not stagnating and always thinking about new things and looking to the future.”
The two-hour music special, hosted by Ivy Queen and Jacqueline Bracamontes, honors Latin women in music. Mujeres Latinas en la Música aired on Sunday, May 7 at 9 p.m. ET exclusively on Telemundo and Peacock.
A first of its kind for Latin music, the inaugural Latin Women in Music event is an expansion of Billboard’s Women in Music franchise and celebrates Latin female artists, executives and creatives who are proactively working for positive change, inclusion and gender parity in the music industry. Shakira will receive the first-ever Woman of the Year award. Other honorees, in addition to Becerra, include Ana Gabriel, who will receive the Living Legend Award; Emilia, who will receive the Rising Star Award; Evaluna, who will receive the Tradition and Future Award; Goyo, who will receive the Agent of Change Award, and Thalia, who will receive the Global Powerhouse Award.
Billboard and Telemundo aim to further elevate Latin music globally and celebrate the women who have made a concrete impact on Latin music through their artistic achievements, or through tangible, noteworthy actions that have brought measurable recognition and opportunity to women, affecting positive change to the industry as a whole.
Ivy Queen, alongside Jacqueline Bracamontes, co-hosted the first-ever Billboard Mujeres Latinas en la Música (Billboard Latin Women in Music) on Sunday night (May 7). Flaunting a bedazzled boxing robe with a hood covering her face, Ivy (real name: Martha Ivelisse Pesante Rodríguez) also took center stage to exclusively premiere her new single “Toma” (Take It).
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“The queen is here,” she kicked off the track as she removed the robe and showed off her curves in a fitted golden ensemble and knee-high boots. A hard-hitting reggaetón song fused with Middle Eastern melodies that later transition to an old-school perreo (produced by Young Hollywood), “Toma” is a reassurance of her “Queen of Reggaeton” title.
“Toma reggaeton pa’ que sientan la presion,” she sings in the chorus, which loosely translates to “take reggaeton to feel the pressure.” “I’m the essence of PR [Puerto Rico] and New York City” and “they have to respect the ranks” are some of the many empowered lines in the tune, before it finishes off with the voice of virtual assistant Siri reminding everyone that “Ivy Queen became known as the Queen of Reggaeton, a singer with a fierce stage persona.”
Watch Ivy Queen’s full performance here:
In March, the 50-year-old Puerto Rican rapper was honored with the Women In Music Icon Award at the 2023 Billboard Women in Music gala.
A first of its kind for Latin music, Billboard Mujeres Latinas en la Música, an expansion of Billboard’s Women in Music franchise, celebrates Latin female artists, executives and creatives who are proactively working for positive change, inclusion and gender parity in the music industry.
Shakira will receive the first-ever Woman of the Year award. Other honorees include Ana Gabriel, who will receive the Living Legend Award; Emilia, who will receive the Rising Star Award; Maria Becerra, who will receive the Visionary Award; Evaluna, who will receive the Tradition and Future Award; Goyo, who will receive the Agent of Change Award, and Thalia, who will receive the Global Powerhouse Award.
Billboard and Telemundo aim to further elevate Latin music globally and celebrate the women who have made a concrete impact on Latin music through their artistic achievements, or through tangible, noteworthy actions that have brought measurable recognition and opportunity to women, affecting positive change to the industry as a whole.
At Billboard’s first annual Latin Women in Music, Thalia testified her star power with a medley of hits. Spanning through an energetic set with back-to-back bangers, the Mexican pop star appeared in a sultry leopard one-piece and dazzling gold jewelry, looking like a queen amid neon lights, with her luscious brown hair flowing as usual.
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She delivered her timeless songs “Amor a la Mexicana” and a bachata-driven version of her fierce clapback “A Quién Le Importa.” “Desde Esa Noche” and the tender ballad “Equivocada” were also performed, leading the crowd through a wave of emotions.
Later that evening, the beloved Latin pop star claimed her Global Powerhouse Award, given to her by Billboard’s content chief officer of Latin/Español, Leila Cobo. “She sings, check. She dances, check. She acts, check. She produces, writes, designs her own clothes, her own line of shoes; and then this woman is a super mom, a woman who has inspired generations with her music,” said Cobo. “This is a risk-taking, committed, powerful artist who is also a charming, and frankly, very funny person.”
“The word we’ve heard the most tonight is ‘empowered’ women. Well, for me, the word empowered falls short,” said Thalia. “I believe that we are all born with power. I believe we are strong, and no one is going to empower us. We already have it. It’s something that God gave us when he created each one of us, individually, unique, unrepeatable. To all of you chingonas with ovaries who are here, don’t get distracted, keep going for your goal, for your dreams, don’t let anyone steal them from you. It is yours. You have the strength, the power, no one is going to give you that. ¡Arriba las mujeres!”
The two-hour music special, hosted by Ivy Queen and Jacqueline Bracamontes, honored Latin women in music. A first of its kind for Latin music, Mujeres Latinas en la Música celebrates Latin female artists, executives and creatives who are proactively working for positive change, inclusion and gender parity in the music industry.
The inaugural Latin Women in Music event was announced earlier this year as an expansion of Billboard’s Women in Music franchise. Billboard and Telemundo aim to further elevate Latin music globally and celebrate the women who have made a concrete impact on Latin music through their artistic achievements, or through tangible, noteworthy actions that have brought measurable recognition and opportunity to women, affecting positive change to the industry as a whole.
Watch Thalia’s performance here.
The inaugural Billboard Mujeres Latinas en la Música (Billboard Latin Women in Music) is gearing up for a promising night full of surprises, motivational speeches and well-deserving awards, on Sunday, May 7. Ahead of the 2023 gala, which is an expansion of Billboard’s Women in Music franchise that will celebrate Latin women artists, executives and creatives in the music industry, we are gathering all the key information for our readers.
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Below, check out how to watch the ceremony and what to expect.
HONOREES: Seven Latin artists will be honored at the gala. Shakira will receive the first-ever Woman of the Year award; Ana Gabriel will accept the Living Legend Award; Emilia will be presented with the Rising Star Award; Maria Becerra will receive the Visionary Award; Evaluna will claim the Tradition and Future Award; Goyo will get the Agent of Change Award; and Thalia is set for the Global Powerhouse Award.
PRESENTERS: Confirmed presenters are Giselle Blondet, Chiky Bombom, Jessica Carrillo, Greeicy, Guaynaa, Ha*Ash, Lele Pons, Andrea Meza, Elena Rose, and Nicole Zignago.
PERFORMANCES: Fans can expect exciting performances, including song premieres. At the time of publishing, Billboard can confirm that Canadian artist JP Saxe will hit the stage with Evaluna, and Brazilian star Ludmilla is set to perform with Emilia.
HOW TO WATCH: The two-hour music special, hosted by Ivy Queen and Jacqueline Bracamontes, honors Latin women in music. Watch Mujeres Latinas En la Música on Sunday, May 7, at 9 p.m. ET exclusively on Telemundo and Peacock.
RED CARPET LIVESTREAM: You can watch Telemundo’s one-hour red carpet livestream exclusively on BBMujeresLatinas.com. Find more info about the livestream here.
A first of its kind for Latin music, Mujeres Latinas en la Música celebrates Latin female artists, executives and creatives who are proactively working for positive change, inclusion and gender parity in the music industry. Billboard and Telemundo aim to further elevate Latin music globally and celebrate the women who have made a concrete impact on Latin music through their artistic achievements, or through tangible, noteworthy actions that have brought measurable recognition and opportunity to women, affecting positive change to the industry as a whole.
Evaluna feels “very honored” to be one of the honorees at the inaugural Billboard Mujeres Latinas en la Música (Billboard Latin Women in Music), set to air Sunday, May 7, on Telemundo. She will receive the Tradition and Future Award, and will perform alongside Canadian artist JP Saxe.
“That award is really extra special to me,” she says in a new interview with Billboard News. The Venezuelan singer-songwriter, daughter of ‘90s pop crooner Ricardo Montaner and sibling of urban-pop duo Mau y Ricky, recalls falling in love with music during a family trip in Italy.
“The moment I said ‘This is what I want to do for the rest of my life’ was when we were in Italy, visiting together as a family, and suddenly, we heard a song by an Italian singer. We had no idea where the song was coming from, but we were obsessed with her voice and the song,” she recalls. “What the song made me feel and that search of having to know who she was, I’d love to make someone feel the same about the music we do together in the family.”
The artist is also married to the award-winning pop star Camilo, whom she has multiple collaborations with, including “Por Primera Vez” and “Índigo.” The latter is named after their first baby, who was born in spring 2022.
“Camilo writes songs with me. I feel like he empowers me a lot so I can communicate what I’m feeling,” she says. “I feel the music I do on my own has always had a more spiritual sound. I think my focus has always been trying to communicate a bit more about my relationship with God. And Cami talks a lot about love in his songs, which in essence is the same.”
Evaluna also thinks motherhood is “a wonderful adventure.” “Being a mom is something totally new. I think it’s my favorite version of myself right now,” she gushes. “I am lucky because I can work right next to her. Disregarding the hour, whenever you can cuddle with your baby, I think that generates the energy to do everything else.”
Hosted by Ivy Queen and Jacqueline Bracamontes, the 2023 Billboard Mujeres Latinas en la Música will be taped at the Watsco Center in Miami on Saturday, and will air exclusively on Telemundo on Sunday at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT. The gala, which is an expansion of Billboard’s Women in Music franchise, will celebrate Latin women artists, executives, and creatives in the music industry.
Tickets to attend Billboard Mujeres Latinas en la Música live in Miami are on sale now. For more information and to purchase, visit BillboardMujeresEnLaMusica.com. Join the conversation using #BBMujeresLatinas and visit BBMujeresLatinas.com for more information.
This story is part of Billboard‘s Mujeres Latinas en la Música package.
Gloria “Goyo” Martínez doesn’t just make music: She represents a radiant light for a global community she has long been championing. Both she and her music aim to uplift Afro-Latino/as, who for decades have been under- and misrepresented both in her native Colombia and the world.
The Colombian singer-songwriter, who boasts queenly bearing and an eclectic and elegant fashion style, forged her reputation by lending her impassioned vocals to socially conscious hip-hop fusion collective ChocQuibTown. As a solo artist, her success continues to place her at the forefront of a soulful Latin hip-hop movement that elevates Afro-Latina women.
“I come from a country where a lot of people have been working to give visibility to our culture, to move forward on some issues that are difficult in our community and as a country,” says Goyo. “So I feel very happy to be able to tell my story and have young girls tell theirs.”
But Goyo’s drive goes beyond her own experience, and she constantly raises her voice on behalf of others.
“Inclusivity, in one way or another, is very important. Working for equity and equality not only for the rights of Afro-Latinos and women, but also for human rights,” says Goyo, who will receive the Agent of Change award at the first ever Billboard Latin Women In Music gala, airing May 7 on Telemundo.
“I think ChocQuibTown has an important part within that history, and it’s something that fills me with a lot of pride, not only for being successful as an artist and singer, but as a person.”
Last year, Goyo released her first solo album,En Letra de Otro, a tropical rap/soul outing in which she pays tribute to iconic artists like Tego Calderón, Shakira and Carlos Vives.
The full-length release was accompanied by an HBO special of the same name that shows her origins in the small and humble town of Condoto, in the state of Chocó, on Colombia’s Pacific coast. “For me it was very important to show a little bit of Gloria’s world. To be able to show them where I was born with a lot of sincerity, to show my family, my aunts, where I come from,” she says.
Goyo rose to fame in 2010 as the passionate voice of ChocQuibTown, along with her husband, Carlos “Tostao” Valencia, and brother Miguel “Slow” Martínez. Together, they have captivated audiences since their worldwide smash hit, “De Donde Vengo Yo,” which won them a Latin Grammy for best alternative song. With their six-album discography, the Afro-Colombian trio have built a reputation for conscious lyrics that speak to their pride for their heritage with a genuine, streetwise sensibility.
“I think I’ve earned a beautiful place because I’m a woman, and I have my voice. There are songs [by ChocQuibTown] that became part of many people, and many couples, especially when they feel that pride of being Colombian and feeling represented.”
The transition from ChocQuibTown — her school, her family, as she describes, and with whom she still works — to her own solo project was a natural one.
“The timing became a little difficult, but the truth is that we always thought it was important that the three of us could make a transition to be able to show our own sensibilities, our own experiences, and to be able to do other things,” she says.
Goyo comes from a musical family. Her late grandfather was a bolero player, and her father, who owned an impressive vinyl collection, played his records at neighborhood parties and often entrusted his daughter with the song selection. Her favorite was “Goyito Sabater” by El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, which earned her the nickname “Goyo.” She is also the niece of the great Jairo Varela, founder and leader of the legendary Grupo Niche.
“I feel like a fan,” she says, referring to her uncle and his famous group. “For me, it was always super exciting to have a person like him as an example when it came to writing. That’s why I’m also a composer and write what I sing, and that seems super important to me,” she adds. “As a family we are also safeguarding a legacy that is not only the family’s but belongs to all Latinos who feel how important Grupo Niche and Jairo Varela are to our history.”
Throughout her career, Goyo has advocated the importance of Afro-Latina visibility in the music industry by speaking on the subject in interviews and on social media. What it means to her to represent her Afro identity to the public is “being able to shake off a lot of myths that ‘this can’t be done.’ ”
“I feel like a person who has opened doors, who motivates other artists or other people, just as I am also motivated by many artists,” she adds. “I’m very impressed when sometimes they send me photos of girls who dress like me, or give me as an example of a woman who fulfilled her dreams. And it’s paradoxical, because I’m still fulfilling dreams.”
Tickets to Billboard’s Latin Women In Music can be purchased here.
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