Karol G makes history as the first Latina to be named Billboard 'Woman of the Year"

Following a captivating salsa version of "Amargura," Karol G accepted her Woman of the Year Award at the 2024 Billboard Women in Music Awards at YouTube Theater on Wednesday.

Colombian Sofia Vergara, a very well-known actor and producer, presented Karol G with her special award. If you watched the Netflix show “Griselda,” you are well aware that the Colombian singer made her acting debut alongside Vergara earlier this year.

“This is the first time, ever, a Latina is named woman of the year,” Karol G said, continuing to deliver the rest of her speech in Spanish.

It’s not the first time that the singer has made history. Last month, she became the first woman to win in the best música urbana category at the Grammys, which is a very male dominated category.

Also last year, her album “Mañana Será Bonito,” one of the Associated Press’ picks for best of the year, became the first ever Spanish-language album by a female artist to hit No. 1 on the album chart since Selena Quintanilla’s posthumous “Dreaming of You,” did in 1995.

Later, the audience led chants of “Bichota" — an affectionate nickname for Karol G, which is derived from Puerto Rican slang “bichote,” It normally refers to as a drug dealer, but has been transformed into a term of empowerment with the feminine “a." 

In a way, it might've confused Tracee Ellis Ross, who otherwise masterfully guided the crowd throughout the evening, but it certainly illustrated a significant theme: celebrating women in the music business is a celebration of women everywhere.

To check out her full acceptance speech, click here.