Shakira to be named 2023 Woman of the Year at Billboard's first Latin Women in Music event

Shakira will be honored with the 2023 Woman of the Year award at the first Latin Women in Music event next month, Billboard and Telemundo announced on Monday.

The pop superstar from Colombia is receiving the honor for her contributions to the music industry, bringing recognition and opportunities for Latin women through her career and philanthropic efforts.

“Shakira is the ultimate Woman In Music. Thanks to her, Latin women all over the world were 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,” Leila Cobo, Billboard’s chief content officer for Latin/Español, said in a statement.

The two-hour music special, airing on May 7 at 9 p.m. on Telemundo and Universo, will celebrate Latin women artists, executives and creatives, and will feature honorees and performances from Ana Gabriel, Emilia, Evaluna, Goyo and Thalia.

Shakira’s decades-long career has opened doors for Latin artists to crossover into international artists. The singer has sold more than 95 million records worldwide, according to Billboard and Telemundo, making her the top-selling Latin woman artist of all time.

She’s been named Billboard’s Top Female Latin Artist of the Decade twice, in 2000 and 2010, and has received three Grammys, 12 Latin Grammys, seven Billboard Music awards and 39 Billboard Latin Music awards, according to Billboard and Telemundo.

“Shakira has been pivotal in shaping the vibrant and diverse landscape of Latin music and music in general throughout her career,” Ronald Day, president of entertainment and content strategy for Telemundo, said in a statement. “Her passion, talent and creativity have broken barriers and empowered generations to embrace our identity through music, and we are incredibly proud to recognize her as Women of the Year in the industry.”

Her 2022 single “Monotonía” was one of the biggest Spanish language songs of the year and became the most streamed Latin track in 24 hours on Spotify. The song debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, making Shakira the first solo woman to reach the Top 10 with a song recorded in Spanish.

Shakira has also headlined the Super Bowl halftime show alongside Jennifer Lopez in 2020 and served as a coach on “The Voice” in 2013 and 2014.

Outside of music, at age 18 Shakira started the the Pies Descalzos Foundation, which has built and adapted nine public schools across four cities in Colombia, with six more in construction. The foundation has raised more than $40 million since it was founded, according to Billboard and Telemundo.

The Latin Women in Music event will take place on May 6 at the Watsco Center in Miami, and will air on May 7. The event will also be available to stream on the Telemundo app and Peacock.

Telemundo, Universo, Peacock and TODAY share the same parent company, NBCUniversal. 

This article was first published in Today.com.