Telemundo and Billboard announced on this Monday that Becky G, Joy Huerta, and Julieta Venegas will be the first honorees revealed for the 2026 edition of Billboard Latin Women in Music. The annual event has become a rare televised space devoted entirely to recognizing Latina artists whose impact goes beyond charts and trophies, and this first trio says a lot about where the culture is right now.
Becky G will receive the “Global Impact” award, Joy the “Spirit of Change” honor, and Julieta Venegas the “Artistic Excellence” award, according to Billboard and the event announcement distributed by Telemundo and NBCUniversal. The selections represent three distinct forms of influence: Becky G as a border-crossing pop force, Joy as a songwriter and activist who has turned visibility into advocacy, and Venegas as the gold standard for artistic consistency in Spanish-language music.
For Becky G, the recognition arrives during another year of proving that her career no longer fits neatly into one lane. The Mexican American singer has spent the last decade moving between English-language pop, reggaetón, urbano and música mexicana, and in 2026 she has already placed herself in one of the year’s most international music moments.
Earlier this month, she was featured on “Make It Count,” the official anthem from the first-ever World Baseball Classic soundtrack, alongside Myke Towers and YEONJUN, in a project produced by Tainy and rolled out by MLB ahead of the global tournament. Billboard and MLB both framed the soundtrack as a multicultural effort built to match the event’s international reach, the kind of arena Becky G has increasingly made her own.
She also released “Marathon” last week, a full return to her English roots.
That global dimension is exactly what Billboard is rewarding. Becky G’s crossover credentials were established years ago, but what has made her endure is her ability to keep shifting without losing the identity that got her there. She remains one of the few artists who can move comfortably between mainstream American pop culture and the emotional vocabulary of a bilingual Latino audience. Even in 2026, that still feels less common than the industry likes to pretend. Her public profile has also continued to include activism, including a recent anti-ICE message at the MusiCares Person of the Year gala.
