Billboard Latin Women In Music
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The second annual Billboard Latin Women in Music is just around the corner. The two-hour music special — where superstars such as Karol G, Kali Uchis, Gloria Estefan and many more will be honored — is set to air exclusively on Telemundo on Sunday (June 9) at 9 p.m. ET. The Billboard Latin Women in Music franchise […]
Gloria Estefan can do it all — from breaking molds in the music industry to doing her own laundry, literally. And she knows it.
It’s something she learned from the biggest “legends” in her life: her grandmother Consuelo and her mother Gloria Fajardo, whose life circumstances forced them to take the reins and provide for their family. “I grew up with two women who did everything,” Estefan says. “So for me there was never the question [of], ‘Well, as a woman, can I do this?’ Because the women in my life did it all.”
Since rising to stardom in the 1980s as the lead vocalist for the Miami Sound Machine — alongside her husband, visionary producer Emilio Estefan — Gloria Estefan has helped infuse Latin flavor into English-language pop music, breaking barriers with hits like “Conga” and “Rhythm is Gonna Get You,” and singing at the same time en Español.
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On the Billboard charts, she has placed 29 songs on the Hot 100, including three No. 1 hits (“Anything For You” in 1988, “Don’t Wanna Lose You” in 1989 and “Coming Out of the Dark ” in 1991) — as well as 30 hits on Hot Latin Songs, 15 of which reached the top spot (from “No Me Vuelvo A Enamorar” in 1986 to “Hotel Nacional” in 2012). Her first full-length album in Spanish, Mi Tierra (1993), spent a whopping 58 weeks at the summit of Top Latin Albums, and won her first of three Grammy Awards.
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This weekend, the Cuban-American superstar — who only six months ago became the first ever Latina artist to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame — will receive the Legend award at the 2024 Billboard Latin Women in Music gala in Miami.
You are a music icon and a legend. What many may not know is how down to earth you are. I remember I interviewed you a few years ago over the phone and you apologized for the noise of the washing machine — you said that you were doing laundry because you were going on a trip, and I confess I was impressed. I didn’t imagine that Gloria Estefan washed her own clothes.
Sometimes I have to, you know? [Laughs.] I am blessed to have staff at home who are really family — they have been with us for more than 30 years, and they pamper and spoil me a lot — but there come times when there are some things that you have to do yourself. And of course, I know how to do everything! And Emilio is the same too. Emilio starts cleaning because he is meticulous, he sprays water everywhere with the hose. It’s hilarious to watch.
How have you managed to stay so grounded despite all the fame and success?
You know what, I went through a lot as a child. Taking care of my dad [who had multiple sclerosis], trying to help my mother, who had everything left on her shoulders — raising her two daughters, helping my grandmother. My grandmother helped us too. I believe that when you have the example of knowing what’s really [worthwhile] in life, the things that have real value, which is health primarily, love, affection, family — and if it weren’t for my family I wouldn’t know where I’d be — that helps me a lot.
Also, I already had a son when we achieved great global success, and I was still a mother; I would take him on tour with me and he would see me on stage and see that part, but when I got off I was just a mom. Having family with you like that really keeps you grounded.
Who have been the female legends in your life, as a woman and as a musician?
My grandmother Consuelo, who came to this country at 57. She didn’t speak English. She grabbed my grandfather and told him, “This is what we’re going to do” — and she created a food business, with which she managed to buy her home and help us. She was an entrepreneurial woman who unfortunately was taken out of school in Cuba when she was 9, because it was the global Depression and she had many siblings and they had to help the family work to survive. She wanted to be a lawyer, she was born in 1905 — a woman in Cuba! She was brilliant. She was spiritual, someone who gave everything and helped many people.
My mother too. I grew up with two women who did everything, so for me there was never the question, “Well, as a woman, can I do this?” because the women in my life did it all. My father was sick, my grandfather too, so women had to take charge of everything.
And on a professional level, Celia Cruz was an inspiration for me — a woman whose humbleness, professionalism, love for what she did, for her people, for her fans, her family… I had the joy of being able to be her friend and share time with her, and she was a very big example for me. She was ageless on stage! For me, that is a legend, someone who really breaks all the molds that exist. That was Celia. So that is the triangle of women who have somehow left their mark on me in a thousand ways.
You’ve stayed active in music. Only last year, you released a Christmas album with your family and recorded the main track from the movie 80 For Brady (“Gonna Be You”). Now you’re writing a Broadway musical with your daughter Emily. You could easily retire and live off the royalties of your many hits. What keeps you going?
For me, it is a blessing and a privilege to be able to make music and in some way inspire others who listen to it; That is what I enjoy the most. Right now, we’re in the workshop of a musical that we have been working on for two years. It has been an inspiration to be part of the process and even more so working with my daughter, which is a very unique opportunity, and to put new songs in the hearts of people tied to an original musical based on the real life story of The Cateura Orchestra of Recycled Instruments [in Paraguay]. They are children who live next to a landfill, and the man who did all this created a music school and they have made instruments from waste and live off that landfill.
It is inspiring to see the triumph of the spirit of young people who, under the most difficult circumstances, have managed to send music to the world. This is not work for me. The luxury I have now is that I can choose the projects to which I say yes […] because now I also have a grandson and I don’t want to be away, I don’t want to miss those years that go by so quickly. So it’s a nice balance.
You have also remained active with the Gloria Estefan Foundation, which you created in 1997 in response to your accident (of 1990, when a truck crashed into your tour bus and left you temporarily paralyzed). What would you say has been the greatest satisfaction it has given you?
Being able to be of service to others. It is a privilege to be able to help in any way. We have many organizations that we support […] I also want to be part of the paralysis cure, because I was paralyzed and I was a positive story after that accident, so I want to help in any way. We help teachers a lot, because my mother was a teacher, so that they can help their children, because sometimes public schools don’t have the funds.
And a strange thing, but something I love: the Miami Beach Police can’t buy bulletproof vests for the police dogs, because they are very expensive and are not in the budget. So many of the dogs were dying — and I was able to buy vests and donate them, so they are more protected, because I also love animals. It is a nice way to be part of the community, be of service to others and find the best way to help.
Would you say that the accident was the most difficult moment you have ever had to go through?
It wasn’t fun, I can tell you that. But I wouldn’t change it. I wouldn’t want to go through it again, but, although I already appreciated life a lot, it gave me a way to live totally grateful every day of my life — for simply being able to stand up, go get a glass of water myself. Because my father was in a wheelchair, I knew what my family would experience if I remained in a wheelchair. Although I am very positive, and if I had stayed in the chair I would be playing basketball. [Laughs.]
It was difficult, but I had so much support, so many prayers that I felt and absorbed and that I know are part of my recovery. I worked very hard, doing six to seven hours a day of rehab — first floating in the pool, because I couldn’t walk. Until I was able to step on stage, 20 days before the one year anniversary of the accident. Every year when that date arrives, the day I broke my back, March 20, […] I celebrate my rebirth. So I’m only 34 years old right now.
How would you describe the role that music has had in your life?
Music for me has been the vehicle of my soul. To express myself. To stay strong. To vent. To have fun, celebrate. Music is the center of my life. Always has been. I’ve been singing since I’ve been able to talk, it came with me. And it’s not that I had to be famous or anything, because I had to get used to being the center of attention — it’s not part of my personality. But I can’t imagine my life without music. And having the privilege of other people listening to my lyrics, my melodies, is something I feel grateful for every day of my life.
When you look back, what moment as a Latin woman in music do you view with greatest pride?
The album Mi Tierra. Definitely. Because although I grew up in this country — I came when I was two and a half years old, and American music and everything I listened to became part of me — to be able to share my culture, an era of Cuban music that was paralyzed with the revolution and didn’t grow any more, being able to make original songs that celebrate and honor Cuban music and spread it throughout the world, for me is my greatest achievement. And if I had to leave only one album, it would be that one.
Billboard Latin Women in Music 2024 will air exclusively on Telemundo Sunday (June 9) at 9 p.m. ET, and will also be available on the Telemundo app and on Peacock.
With her eclectic fusions of Música Mexicana and Latin pop, Ana Bárbara has not only molded the Regional Mexican genre but righteously earned her title of La Reina Grupera (the queen of grupera music). In celebration of her 30-year career that has ultimately defined the grupero genre through 11 studio albums and various Billboard hits, […]
When Kali Uchis first broke into the American mainstream in the mid ‘10s, listeners were quickly drawn to her warm, languid coo. But what few knew then is that the artist born Karly-Marina Loaiza was already a veritable powerhouse: writing, producing and even directing and editing her music videos.
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Uchis first registered on our radar as an indie sensation with her silky EP Por Vida in 2015, where she cemented her status as a formidable talent. By 2024, she has established herself as a versatile star, seamlessly navigating English and Spanish-language projects, while consistently defying genre with her unique blend of R&B, pop, indie and Latin rhythms. “Having these two different cultures has inspired and influenced so much of everything that I do and make,” the Colombian-American artist tells Billboard Español. Her smash hit “Telepatía” from Sin Miedo (2020) alone has amassed over two billion streams to date, while peaking at a career-best No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100, and also spending 25 weeks on the chart.
After a trio of Billboard 200-charting releases — 2018’s Isolation (No. 32), 2020’s Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios) (No. 52) and 2023’s Red Moon in Venus (No. 4) — Uchis unveiled her fourth studio LP (and second Spanish-language album) Oriquídeas, in January. The album became her highest-charting project to date, achieving remarkable success across both the American and Latin markets — peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, while soaring to the pinnacle of Top Latin Albums, Latin Pop Albums, Top Albums Sales, and Vinyl Albums.
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Recently a new mother, Kali Uchis will be recognized with the Rising Star award at Billboard Latin Women in Music 2024. “As an artist, I have always tried to freely express myself. I think [that] opens a door for other artists to feel free and in expressing themselves when it comes to bilingual music, Spanglish,” she tells Billboard Español. “It’s really special when young women tell me that because of me, they felt empowered to be more free in the way that they create. It’s a beautiful thing to feel that you can inspire the next generation.”
Firstly, congratulations on an eventful 2024 so far. You released a No. 1 album, and you’re a new mother!
I was pretty much working my whole pregnancy. I was touring and getting ready to release this album. I shot a bunch of music videos. I was doing as much work [as I could] — so that when I had my baby, I could just enjoy my new baby, and not have to worry about work too much.
When it comes to my child, everything else can wait. I always told myself, “One day, should God ever give me the opportunity to become a mother, I don’t ever want to be the type of person that’s like, ‘My career comes first.’” There’s a lot more to life than your career. That’s how I look at the world. So it’s been a beautiful thing to put [the album] out and see what happens. I’m now getting back into the swing of working. We’ll see if another song happens to take off from the album. But if not, I’m not really worried about it, I have my next album ready. I’m ready for my next era.
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You’ve navigated between the Latin and U.S. music markets with ease, which had been uncommon after first making it big in English-language music. What challenges and opportunities have you encountered in doing so?
There are so many of us that have grown up in spaces of feeling “other” — especially in the United States as a Latina, feeling like you have to [be in put a] box. Now, it’s different. But when I was growing up, you had to identify yourself on paperwork by checking a box [specifying] if you’re Black, white, Asian, Pacific Islander. I always checked the “other” box. Every day, it felt like people were trying to take away your identity, make you not proud of where you come from, and make you feel like it’s not okay to speak Spanish. Even people coming to this country changed their kids’ names to become more Americanized, so they don’t get discriminated [against]. A lot of that experience was challenging for me.
You also grew up in Colombia.
I went to school in Colombia. We were supposed to live there for the rest of my life. Then we ended up coming back to the United States. I had a tumultuous upbringing when it came to heritage, [asking] where is home and what to call home. When I came back to the United States, our house was the place where family members [stopped in] when crossing to America. It was full of immigrants. As an artist, trying to find my footing not only as a person, but as an artist, your artistic identity. All of it has played a big part in me. Being a dual citizen and having these two different cultures has inspired and influenced so much of everything that I do and make. Finding that balance was probably the most challenging part for me.
With Sin Miedo, the pushback was, “You’re never going to be accepted by the Latin market. You’re always going to be considered a gringa because of your U.S. upbringing.” Then with the English-speaking fans, the pushback was, “She’s making music that I can’t understand.” There was some shame, something out of your control. But I had the privilege of never feeling that pressure of having to be commercially successful. Now there are so many of us that have had that experience, first- and second-generation [Latinos]. It’s this new layer to Latinidad that never existed before. Now that America is becoming so Latin, it’s almost like I found my place in that, as well.
How do you and your partner Don Toliver, who’s also a well-known artist, support each other in your respective endeavors?
Whether it’s your friends, family, or partner, it’s important to support [one another’s] dreams, and ambitions. It’s great being able to be with somebody that supports anything that I choose to do, and he understands. If I want to keep making music, I can do that. He also supports me if I don’t want to keep doing that. As a mom, there’s a lot of shaming if you [either] work or don’t work.
On my end, whatever he feels he needs to do for his career, I’m here for him too. It goes both ways, and it’s important — especially when you have a baby. The relationship becomes even more layered. Both of you become responsible for this whole other human being. So it’s important to take time to still be communicating with each other, and putting energy into the relationship.
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You’ve done dembow (“Muñequita” with El Alfa and JT), reggaetón (“Labios Mordidos” with Karol G), neo soul (“Igual Que Un Angel” with Peso Pluma), boleros (“Te Mata”) — you’ve tapped into many genres very seamlessly.
When I make a Latin album in particular, I’m really trying to play and experiment as much as I can with all of the Latin genres that have influenced me. That’s my opportunity to have as much fun as possible. A lot of times, when [non-Latin] people think about Latin music, they just think of one type of artist or sound — and I tried to just be as free with my expression so I can show the range of Latin music and everything that inspires me.
Sometimes I surprise myself, like, “Oh, I didn’t know that I could do this sound.” For instance, my merengue song (“Dame Beso // Muévete”) on Orquídeas, that’s my first time ever doing that sound. I never thought that I could make a song like this — so it’s cool. The bolero was really fun, too.
What advice would you give to emerging artists who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
Any up-and-coming artists, I would say, “Be yourself.” Don’t ever try to be like anybody else, think about how somebody else would do something, or follow trends. Find your own light, find your own path, and do what feels right for you. That’s how you’re going to do something that’s never been done before. That is something that I’ve always stood for and lived by. I think that’s what sets you apart as the artist — solidifying your own lane, your own identity — and when you make music, that you are ultimately striving to be timeless.
Billboard Latin Women in Music 2024 will air at 9 PM ET (8 PM Central) on Sunday, June 9 via Telemundo, and can also be streamed on the Telemundo app and on Peacock.
When Kany García was a child growing up in Puerto Rico, her father — a former priest who became a social worker — constantly took his three children with him to the many public housing projects where he worked.
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“My dad normalized for us the idea of entering, of participating. There was always that dynamic of service, of conscience, of empathy,” García says today. The ability to listen and connect have been constant elements in García’s music, in songs that are intensely personal, but also intensely empathetic and capable of connecting on many levels. In her 17-year career, García has placed 30 songs on Billboard‘s Latin Pop Airplay chart and eight albums — including five in the top 10 and one No. 1, 2019’s Limonada — on Top Latin Albums. They include her most recent, the self-titled García, released last month.
But at the same time that Garcia, the artist, has gained global success (she just announced a 20-plus date U.S. tour), she has also spread social awareness in many areas — demonstrating sustained and vocal activism, and social commitment that is rare in the world of Latin music. For her action and conviction, García will be recognized with the Spirit of Change award at the 2024 Billboard Latin Women In Music gala, airing June 9 on the Telemundo network.
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Receiving the award, says García, “On the one hand, is like an embrace — and within the effort and struggle, it’s also an opportunity to continue inspiring new generations of women who are vocal[…] how have raised their voices for my generation and for generations before me.”
In addition to helping multiple organizations, García continually promotes gender equality, feminism and LGBQT rights, and speaks often about gender violence, both in interviews and in her own songs.
“I think everyone acts according to what they understand and what their personality is,” she says when asked if artists should speak out. “For me, it’s a necessity. It’s something that goes hand in hand with touring – where you have the opportunity to see firsthand the people who are affected by your music. You’re there, and you witness the reality of each country and say: ‘How can I not speak up? How can I not contribute? How can I not communicate?’”
García actively contributes to many organizations, among them the True Self Foundation in Puerto Rico, which works for the well-being and social mobility of communities of different sexual orientation and gender identity. But García also advocates daily for those things she feels deeply on a personal level. On her Instagram feed, she often raises her voice to comment on topics as diverse as social policy and femicides and constantly engages in social issues. For example, in December, she sang at the Bayamón Women’s Rehabilitation Complex in Puerto Rico — her second visit to the center — and she also visited the headquarters of The Happy Givers, which helps seniors.
But at this moment in her life, she says, what moves her most is “everything that has to do with gender violence and the rate of femicides that exists throughout Latin America. The issue of women has been paramount in recent years.”
And it is a topic that García addresses the best way she knows: with music.
In her song “Se portaba mal” (“She Misbehave,” from the 2020 album Mesa Para Dos), for example — which she recorded with Mon Laferte — she describes in detail the daily life of an abused woman to the strains of tango (“She behaved badly, very bad/ You had to grab her and pull her hair/ Punch her three times before going to bed/ And tomorrow, ‘Forgive me because I love you,’” go the brutal opening lines).
“For me, feminism will always be important in my music — because I live the issue of inequality daily,” she says. “I love that the songs are a bridge that allow people to sit down and talk, to be aware of what we are experiencing. For me it has always been an essential part of what I have done and what has given meaning to my songs and my project.”
Billboard’s 2024 Latin Women In Music airs Sunday, June 9 on the Telemundo network (9 pm ET/8pm Central) and will stream live on the Telemundo app and on Peacock.
Kany García is set to hit the road with her García Tour 2024 in North America, which will kick off Oct. 9 in Dallas’ Majestic Theatre. In support of her latest album, García, the Live Nation-produced trek will visit major U.S. markets including Chicago, New York and Atlanta before wrapping up Dec. 1 in Miami’s […]
La India will be honored with the Pioneer award at the 2024 Billboard Latin Women in Music event, Billboard and Telemundo announced Tuesday (June 4).
The Puerto Rican singer and songwriter, aka the “Princess of Salsa,” will receive an honor that acknowledges those who have pioneered new paths, broken barriers and inspired future generations through their innovative artistry, cultural impact and enduring legacy. The show will air exclusively on Telemundo this Sunday (June 9) at 9 p.m. (ET), and will also be available on the Telemundo app and on Peacock.
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“Since the release of her first album [Dicen Que Soy in 1994], La India ushered in a new era and sound for salsa music representing female empowerment and becoming a voice for Latinas,” says the release. “She achieved remarkable success in a historically male-dominated genre, paving the way for other female artists in salsa. By blending traditional salsa with elements of pop, house, and other genres, La India has contributed to the evolution of salsa music, inspiring future generations of artists and expanding the genre’s reach and appeal.”
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On the Billboard charts, La India has collected 11 No. 1s on Tropical Airplay, the most for a woman in that tally, and has had 15 entries on Tropical Albums, also the most for any female act, including six No. 1s.
On Tuesday, Billboard and Telemundo also announced that GALE, Sergio George, Arthur Hanlon, Elena Rose and Juliana will all take the stage in special performances and collaborations to celebrate this year’s honorees. In addition to La India, Karol G will be celebrated as Woman of the Year, Gloria Estefan will receive the Legend award, Camila Cabello the Global Impact award, Ana Bárbara the Lifetime Achievement award, Ángela Aguilar the Musical Dynasty award, Kali Uchis the Rising Star award, and Kany García the Spirit of Change award.
The show will be hosted by Mexican actress Jacqueline Bracamontes and will have Pedro Capó, Myrka Dellanos, Luis Figueroa, María José, Penélope Menchaca, Andrea Meza and Maripily Rivera among the presenters.
The Billboard Latin Women in Music franchise recognizes the importance of Latin women in the music industry and honors those who have made a positive impact in the previous year. The honors bestowed in 2023 included Shakira as Woman of the Year, Ana Gabriel as Living Legend, Emilia as Rising Star, and Thalia as Global Powerhouse, among others.
Ángela Aguilar was destined for stardom.
As third generation of the Aguilar musical dynasty — her father is Mexican music icon Pepe Aguilar, and her grandparents are the legendary Antonio Aguilar and Flor Silvestre — Ángela inherited the vibrant falsetto from her grandma, her grandfather’s knack for storytelling and her father’s passion for mariachi. She also inherited the great responsibility that comes from being part of a musical dynasty, especially when her last name is synonymous with regional Mexican royalty.
“To know just how much my grandma and grandpa had to work for their success, it makes me proud of where I come from,” the 20-year-old singer-songwriter says from her home in Texas, where’s she’s spending a day off from touring with her father, her brother Leonardo Aguilar and her uncle Antonio Aguilar Jr., in the family’s Jaripeo Hasta Los Huesos Tour, which continues the legacy of the equestrian shows pioneered by her grandparents in the 1960s. “To this day, I don’t want to disappoint our last name. I want to do the best of my abilities to represent in a respectful way.”
Ángela made her onstage debut at just three years old while she and her family accompanied her father on tour. Five years later, she released her first album at the young age of eight. It was a joint album with her brother Leonardo titled Nueva Tradición (which translates to New Tradition), that was powered by banda, mariachi and norteño sounds. At that moment, she says, she really understood that she was part of something bigger than herself.
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“When I was three years old, I really thought the stage was my playground but when I released my first album, that was my realization of, ‘Oh my gosh, this is way bigger than I thought.’ I felt I had become less of an individual and more of an institution, and that was more important to me,” she explains.
Born in Los Angeles, Ángela is a fixture in música mexicana, one of a handful of women that have forged their own path in the decades-old genre that continues to be overwhelmingly dominated by men. So far, she has landed three No. 1 songs on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart — including “Dime Como Quieras” with Christian Nodal, which ruled the tally for five weeks — and four top 10 hits on Latin Airplay, including her first No. 1 on that chart, “Por El Contrario” with Leonardo and Becky G. She also scored a Latin Grammy best new artist nomination in 2018.
On the touring front, she’s perhaps the most successful regional Mexican woman today with back-to-back U.S. arena tours (Jaripeo Sin Fronteras and Jaripeo Hasta Los Huesos) since her father launched the family show concept in 2018. In the middle of it all, in 2023, she went on her eight-date Piensa En Mí Tour, a solo trek across the U.S.
“Singing is a very lonely career because you go on stage and sing in front of 20,000 people and then you go back to a hotel room and you’re all by yourself,” Ángela shares. “But I have the privilege of having three people in my family that experience the same thing I do every single night. I get to learn from them every weekend.”
Most recently, Ángela released Bolero, a nine-song set produced by her father in honor of the genre that originated in the 19th century and inspires her ever expanding musical palate. With this LP, she doubles down on her effort to expose a new generation of fans to the styles that soundtracked her childhood home.
“That’s been my message for many years; wanting the younger generation to appreciate the music,” she says with pride. “I think people often question whether I’m singing the music I want to sing but I am. Truly this is my biggest passion. And I’ve inherited not only the passion for it but also the love passed on from generations of fans because I’m part of this musical dynasty. You don’t need to be part of one but when you are, it’s beautiful.”
Karol G is set to be honored with Woman of the Year at the Billboard Latin Women in Music 2024, Billboard and Telemundo announced on Wednesday (May 29). Just months after being named as Billboard‘s 2024 Woman of the Year in March, Karol will be recognized once more on June 9 for her extraordinary milestones and unparalleled impact […]
Camila Cabello and Kali Uchis will be honored at the 2024 Billboard Latin Women in Music, Billboard and Telemundo announced on Thursday (May 23). The show will air exclusively on Telemundo on Sunday, June 9, at 9 p.m. ET, and will be simultaneously available on the Telemundo app and Peacock.
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This celebration, which highlights the efforts of Latin women musicians who are “proactively working for positive change, inclusion and gender parity in the music industry,” will see the megastar of Cuban and Mexican roots receive the Global Impact award, and the Colombian-American singer the Rising Star award.
“Singer-songwriter Camila Cabello’s success and contributions have earned her the honor of Global Impact, which recognizes female artists who have an exceptional ability to connect with audiences worldwide, not only through their music but also by positively influencing popular culture, as well as serving as ambassadors of Latin culture on a global scale,” reads the official press release, noting that the singer of “Havana” and “Señorita” has used her voice not only to create great hits worldwide, but to promote important issues that she is passionate about such as immigration, diversity, mental health and female empowerment.
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Among other projects, Cabello has partnered with This Is About Humanity and Miami Freedom Project to host community events for new immigrant families in Miami, and has raised half a million dollars with Equality Florida and Lambda Legal to combat harmful legislation in Florida targeting the LGBTQ+ community. She also launched the Healing Justice Project to provide mental health resources to BIPOC organizers across the country advancing racial, immigrant, and environmental justice.
Uchis, meanwhile, “has quickly climbed the charts since releasing her first album in 2018,” the statement continues, “earning her this year’s Rising Star honor, a recognition and celebration of an emerging talent’s success in growing their musical prowess and solidifying their place in the industry.”
The singer, songwriter and record producer has successfully alternated between English and Spanish-language projects, while defying music genres with music that blends elements of R&B, neo-soul, pop, and Latin rhythms. Her smash hit “telepatía” from her debut album Isolation has amassed over 2 billion streams and is the Billboard Hot 100 longest-running Spanish song by a solo act this decade with a 23-week streak.
Cabello and Uchis join a list of previously announced honorees for this year that include Gloria Estefan (Legend award), Ana Bárbara (Lifetime Achievement award), Ángela Aguilar (Musical Dynasty) and Kany García (Spirit of Change).
In the coming weeks, additional honorees and details will be announced for the second annual Billboard Latin Women in Music ceremony, which will be hosted by actress Jacqueline Bracamontes.