Shakira to Become First-Ever Recipient of Billboard’s ‘Latin Woman of the Year’ Award
Shakira is having quite a year. Despite the setbacks that life has thrown at her, the Colombian singer is making her way to a new and successful stage in her life.
Just last Monday, Billboard announced that the Colombian superstar will receive the first-ever Woman of the Year award. The recognition will be part of the inaugural “Latin Women In Music” (Mujeres Latinas en la Música) ceremony.
Among the hosts, the event will feature reggaeton icon Ivy Queen and Mexican actress Jacqueline Bracamontes.
The most famous artists will gather to celebrate Latinas in music this May 6th at the Watsco Center in Miami, Florida. For those of us who want to get all the details, Telemundo will broadcast the gala the following day.
Shakira is synonymous with empowerment
Although her fans are well aware of the talent and significance Shakira has had in our culture, Billboard’s recognition is definitely a milestone.
“Shakira is the ultimate Woman in Music,” Billboard’s chief content officer for Latin/Español, Leila Cobo, said. “Thanks to her, Latin women all over the world have been empowered to write and perform deeply personal music.”
“She created a movement all on her own and continues to be more relevant than ever today, with grace, a deep tradition of giving back, and enormous talent. She is the definition of a Woman in Music,” Cobo continued.
The last few months have been the best proof of the Colombian singer’s talent and strength
With her latest singles, “TQG” with Karol G and “Shakira: BZRP Music Sessions #53,” the artist has reminded her fans how resilient and empowered she is – even after a very public breakup.
With “Shakira: BZRP Music Sessions #53,” Shakira also garnered incredible record-breaking achievements, such as becoming the first woman to reach the top 10 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart with a song in Spanish. She also made history with the most-streamed Latin track in just 24 hours in Spotify history, per Billboard.
The same song broke 14 Guinness World Records and became YouTube’s most-viewed video in 24 hours, with over 63 million plays.
And that was just this year alone
Shakira’s extensive musical career has made her one of the most influential Latinas in music – ever since she released her first album in the early 1990s.
Today, she even has her own Grammy Museum exhibit in Los Angeles, CA. The “Shakira, Shakira: The GRAMMY Museum Experience” is another testament of gratitude towards the Colombian’s incredible musical trajectory.
Now, on May 6, Shakira will join icons such as Mexican crooner Ana Gabriel, pop icon Thalia and more women in a long-overdue celebration of Latina talent.
