On Sunday, May 7th Billboard’s Latin Women in Music Gala aired on the network Telemundo. Colombian singer Shakira received the Woman of the Year award. Singer-songwriter Maluma presented her with the award, but not before praising Shakira for her dedication to her music and not letting the hardships she has faced define her, “Today I am a witness that Shakira writes her songs from the heart, and from experiences. And this year she knew how to turn adversity into art.” Shakira has empowered individuals with her music and recognizes the hardships that women go through and encourages them to keep going.
During her acceptance speech, she said, “The most important lessons I learned from other women, and for them, I wrote what I wrote and I sang what I sang. Because only a woman can love until she’s ripped apart; can speak with the most brutal honesty; can sing with anger; dance in ecstasy and be brought to tears with emotion. Only a woman can do that.” As a Latina woman, I feel proud to have grown up with Shakira’s music and witness how her music has evolved over the years.
