On the eve of the 2025 Billboard Latin Women in Music, a group of women – many of them part of the list of executives from Latin Women in Music – gathered to celebrate each other at the Telemundo Center on April 23 in Miami. During the event hosted by Sonia Clavell, manager of reggaeton icon Ivy Queen, the executive also announced the launch of Bravas Entertainment, which will offer professional training, mentoring, creative production, music distribution, and support networks for emerging female artists in the industry. The event began with a moving speech by Leila Cobo from Billboard, who spoke about the importance of representation. “When we created Latin Women in Music, the goal was to pay tribute to the Latin artists who had an impact that year, but the heart of Women in Music, which is like the parent company, has always been the executives who stand by those artists,” said Cobo. “When we talk about expanding the role of women in music, it’s an ongoing conversation, and for me, the most important way to do it is to set an example and allow those who come after us to dream, because it’s hard to pave your own way when there is no path.”
Ivy Queen also took the stage to share some words about her fierce manager and her own experience breaking into a male-dominated industry. “In the industry we’re in, we need to be friends,” said the hitmaker in her powerful speech. “True empowerment is not just a hashtag, but a friend who reaches out and asks if everything is okay. We need women who believe in our proposals. Sonia is strong, and the important thing is to create a bond where you feel that they are supporting you.” Clavell invited the women present to collaborate with her and her new company. “We understand the cost, the pain, but we also know the healing power of having someone who believes in you,” she said. “I would love to be able to meet with you along the way and develop amazing things for the new generation.”
The third annual Billboard Latin Women in Music special will be broadcast live on April 24 at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT exclusively on Telemundo, Universo, Peacock, and the Telemundo app, and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean on Telemundo Internacional. Below are photos from the special event: