Karol G’s at a career peak right now. On March 6, the Colombian superstar was named Woman of the Year 2024 at the Billboard Women in Music Awards which took place at the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles, CA. The awards streamed Thursday, March 7 via their official website.

The “MAMIII” singer made history by becoming the first woman born in Latin America to receive the prestigious award. Before the host Tracee Ellis Ross introduced her, loyal fans chanted her endearing “Bichota” nickname, causing Ross to get distracted as she read the television prompter. This is a testament to how much La Bichota means to her fans – they’re always mutually showing their love to one another.

Colombian-American actress Sofía Vergara introduced Billboard’s Woman of the Year to the audience, noting that Karol is humble and easy to work with. She also listed her outstanding accolades, including her historic Billboard achievements to date.  

Before accepting the night’s biggest award, Karol performed what she referred to as not her most popular but her fans’ most favorite song. She sang a different, more salsa-driven version of “Amargura” from her hit album Mañana Será Bonito. By adding the salsa tinge, she represented her beloved home flag’s rhythm and roots. Notably, Emily Estefan was a surprise drummer during this special performance.

After performing, the “TQG” singer opened her acceptance speech in English, saying it’s one of the most important for her because it’s the first time a Latina has received it. She then switched to Spanish to say she lived so many years disappointed in being a woman because she faced many rejections and missed opportunities by not being a man. She mentioned how she believed the naysayers who said she wouldn’t make it in her music career as a woman.

She continued her speech by saying that it was not until she realized that it was up to her to make people believe that being a woman isn’t an obstacle, but the motivation to make it as an artist. She also shared three pieces of advice that helped her get to where she’s at today.

“I stopped trying to be perfect for everyone. I accepted myself as a person,” she said. “It was something that took me a long time to accept myself as a woman – as a person – to stop hiding all the things that for people were a defect and that probably today are all the qualities that I have.”

Her second tip is that she ignored and continues to ignore people’s comments about owing her career to other artists with whom she’s worked before. “You don’t have to prove anything to anyone when you know what it took to achieve everything you have to achieve in life.”

Her third piece of advice was that she realized that she didn’t need to win the respect of others, but needed to respect herself to become the best version of herself and someone who she’s proud of being. She concluded her speech by saying that after 16 years, she’s finally at peace with herself because she’s following her heart; and that she’s happy she went through everything because it led her up to where she is today. She also shared the award with all the women who work every day and open paths for others to come.

Moreover, other Latine award winners include Young Miko, who was honored with the Impact award, and performed her newest single “curita”; Ice Spice who received Billboard’s Women In Music Hitmaker; and Luísa Sonza who was honored as a Global Force. Sonza also surprised the audience by having Demi Lovato join her on stage for their collaboration “Penhasco2.”

Other Latines present include Feid, who accompanied Karol, Snow Tha Product, and Lauren Jauregui.