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Ángela Aguilar truly shined Saturday (March 29) night at the Billboard Women in Music 2025 gala in Inglewood, California, when she accepted the Breakthrough Award with an emotional speech that was met with a roaring standing ovation at the YouTube Theater.
After performing a sublime version of the Mexican classic “Cielito Lindo” accompanied by the Harmony Project — a community chorus composed of individuals from diverse backgrounds, including immigrant children — she spoke candidly about a year that “almost broke” her — with constant headlines and online scrutiny over her marriage to Mexican singer Christian Nodal, who was in attendance to support her.

“I have had to cry the weights of judgement and speculation of a story that I have note even told,” Aguilar said. “And yet, here I am. I’m still singing, I’m still standing. Because music is who I am.”

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To a roaring ovation from her peers at the venue, she advised young girls to “sing your truth and when they tell you to be quiet […] sing even louder.” Fighting back tears, she dedicated her award to immigrant women who cross the border to the United States “with nothing but hope in their hearts, only to find themselves living in uncertainty and fear […] You deserve safety, dignity, the right to dream.”

The youngest of the Aguilar dynasty — her father is música mexicana icon Pepe Aguilar, her grandparents legendary Mexican entertainers Antonio Aguilar and Flor Silvestre — Ángela Aguilar made her stage debut as a toddler when she joined her famous dad at one of his concerts. Five years later, at age 8, she released her first album, a joint set with her older brother Leonardo Aguilar. The two later joined Pepe on back-to-back arena tours when he launched Jaripeo Sin Fronteras in 2018, honoring the jaripeo-style show — singing while riding horses — that their grandparents pioneered. Along the way, Ángela landed three No. 1 songs on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart and four top 10 hits on Latin Airplay, including her first No. 1 on that chart, “Por el Contrario,” with Leonardo and Becky G, last year.

Ángela Aguilar at the Billboard Women in Music 2025 held at the YouTube Theater on March 29, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

Gilbert Flores

Hosted by Laverne Cox, Billboard‘s Women in Music honored influential women in music spanning artists and industry leaders, with performances, awards and tributes. Doechii was recognized as Woman of the Year, while honorees also included aespa, Erykah Badu, Gracie Abrams, Meghan Trainor, and Tyla, among others.

Read Ángela Aguilar’s full speech and watch her performance below:

This Breakthrough Award means a lot to me, because this year almost broke me. And honestly, I have had to stand on stage and sing through the tears and I have had to cry the weights of judgement and speculation of a story that I have note even told, and of a story that has never hit my voice. And yet, here I am. I’m still singing, I’m still standing.

Because music is who I am. It’s the thread that connects me to every woman that came before me, like my grandmother Flor Silvestre, and it’s taught me that these women here today are not my competition because we are each other’s legacy. And she taught me that you can fight in silence and the music speaks way louder than what other people say.

To every young girl that’s watching this and is wondering if she should make herself smaller to fit in to someone’s ideas about who they are, don’t. In this world they’ll try to write your story for you; don’t let them. Sing your truth and when they tell you to be quite, if it’s what you want, if it’s truly what you want, sing even louder.

Lastly, I wanna take this moment to raise my voice for the women whose voices are not always given a stage, for the women who leave behind everything they know crossing borders with nothing but hope in their hearts, only to find themselves living in uncertainty and fear. For the immigrant women in the country who work tirelessly building and nurturing, sacrificing, yet still remain unseen, unheard and unprotected, this one is for you. I see you. I honor you. You deserve safety, dignity, the right to dream. And if my voice and my music and my presence on this stage can remind you are not invisible, then I will sing for you every single time.

So tonight I accept this award for every women who has ever had to break through. For my grandmother. For my mother, who’s honored tonight. And to every women who has paved the way for every young girl to be able to dream. We are not breaking down. We are breaking through. Gracias, ¡y que viva México!