MIAMI.- As is tradition, and on the occasion of the commemoration of International Women’s Day, Billboard once again gathered the women most prominent in the industry to celebrate them and recognize their impact and contribution to music in different categories. However, this year the Colombian Karol G shined by winning the highest award: Woman of the Year 2024.
The Billboard Women in Music gala took place on March 6 at the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles, and for the first time, since the creation of this recognition in 2007, a Latina has been considered the most important woman in music. .
“I have to start by telling you that for many, many years I felt very disappointed by the fact of being a woman,” said Karol G at the beginning of her acceptance speech.
“I found myself along the way with so many rejections and so many lost opportunities for that reason that I wondered why I had not been born a man to exploit all this, that love, that desire and the passion I felt for music, all the desire. It was supposed that because I was a woman I couldn’t achieve it and for a long time I believed that story, I believed that it wasn’t for me, because of so many times they told me I couldn’t achieve it. And I always think about the number of people who leave their dreams behind. “continued the interpreter of Maana Ser Bonito.
Perseverance
The artist highlighted that in the midst of the obstacles she planted the idea of continuing to fight, and specifically not allowing her gender to be a reason for deserting, but rather the origin of all her strength. “I was not going to allow being a woman to be an obstacle or define my capabilities, but rather it was going to be my strength, my motive, my reason.”
It was then when Karol G presented his three pillars to walk the path to success.
“First, in order to stop trying to be perfect for everyone, I accepted myself as a person; in reality what I did was something that cost me a lot of time: accept myself as a woman, as a person, stop hiding all the things that were a defect for people and which are probably all my qualities now. Two, I completely ignored her comments, I owe it to this or it wouldn’t have been if it weren’t for… or I achieved it because I recorded with that one. And stop looking for justification for the achievements anymore. “the successes of a woman. One does not have to prove anything to anyone when in one’s heart one knows what one has killed to achieve everything one has to achieve in life,” he asserted.
“And three, I understood that it wasn’t the respect of others that I had to earn: it was respect for myself, to the point that I saw myself and admired the person I had become. Study, work on my voice , in my physical skills, being clear about what I wanted to communicate, how I wanted to connect with people, improve my lyrics, spend many hours in the studio, really prepare myself to do it better and when I saw it, I would tell myself: what hard, how big.”
The artist concluded by expressing the pride she feels in herself today and inviting other women, young people and girls to conquer their dreams. “I look back and I feel very at peace with myself because I followed my heart. Follow your heart. I don’t see pain, I see a lot of opportunities created, I see learning, I see a lot of hearts.”
“Just as I did, all of you, all of you, can do it safely. Never, ever, never give another person the authority to say about your own decisions, to say that something you are doing is good, it is bad, it has value, or it has no value. No one can value you either as a person, as a woman or as a professional. The one who works at it, the one who sweats it, is the one who achieves,” said the recent Grammy winner in the best urban genre album category.
Awarded by Billboard
Karol G joins a series of female artists whose career in the industry, long or short, has been celebrated by Billboard such as Taylor Swift, Madonna, Beyonc, Lady Gaga, Pink, Katy Perry, Cardi B, Olivia Rodrigo, and in 2023 SZA.
During the gala, the organization gave other recognitions in other categories.
Kylie Minogue She was honored as a global icon and Young Miko received the Impact award, which recognizes new talent in the industry.
Ice Spice, Charli XCX, PinkPantheress, Tems and Maren Morris were also honoured.
The Korean NewJeans, K-pop icons, were recognized as the best group of the year; while the Brazilian Lusa Sonza, the Italian Annalisa and the Filipino Sarah Geronimo took the global icons award.
