First Billboard Latin Women in Music: Shakira elected Woman of the Year

The inaugural ceremony of Billboard Latin Women in Music, a new event celebrating women in Latin music, will honor Shakira with the Woman of the Year title on May 7 in Miami, Florida.

"Shakira is the ultimate woman in music. Thanks to her, Latin women around the world have been able to write and perform deeply personal music," said Leila Cobo, Billboard's head of content for Latin and Spanish languages.

Ronald Day, president of entertainment and content strategy at Telemundo, added: "Throughout her career, Shakira has played an essential role in the evolution of the dynamic and diverse landscape of Latin music and music in general. Her passion, talent, and creativity have broken barriers and allowed generations to embrace their identity through music, and we are incredibly proud to recognize her as the Woman of the Year in the industry."

RollingStone reminds us that earlier this year, Shakira's "BZRP Music Sessions Vol. 53" broke the record for the fastest Latin song to reach 100 million views on YouTube. The song also allowed the singer to break the record for the most Top 10 hits by a female artist on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs and Latin Airplay charts. She also broke the record for the most Billboard chart entries for a Spanish-language song performed by a female artist, as well as the most number-one hits on the Latin Airplay, Latin Pop Airplay, and Latin Digital Song Sales charts.