Olga Tañón was only 19 years old when she was invited to audition as a vocalist for a band. A rock lover since she was a child, she assumed it was a rock band, but when she arrived she found a tambora and a güira, not electric guitar, bass, and drums. “I think I got the wrong place,” she recalls thinking. “When I went to the band’s master, Ringo Martínez, he told me, ‘No, this is not a rock band. This is a merengue orchestra.’ ‘Well, I don’t know how to sing merengue.’ And he forced me, as we say in Puerto Rico, and he said, ‘Well, whoever sings well, sings anything.'” The next day, she was already recording her first merengue song, “Fuera de mi vida” by Valeria Lynch, as part of the group Las nenas de Ringo y Jossie.
Almost four decades later, the self-proclaimed “Mujer de Fuego” (Woman of Fire) born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, receives the Billboard Women in Latin Music 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award for her incomparable influence as a singer in this Dominican genre. Throughout her career, which began in the mid-80s, Tañón has not only conquered hearts but also shaped the tropical style, earning a special place in the history of Latin music with her interpretive quality, her unmistakable mezzo-soprano voice, and her high energy on stage. Since she launched as a solo artist in 1992, 20 of her albums have entered the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart, including two at No. 1: Llévame Contigo (1997) and Te Acordarás de Mí (1998). And on the Tropical Airplay chart, she holds the record as the female artist with the most entries in the top 10 (29 in total), with hits like “Es mentiroso,” “Cómo olvidar,” and “El frío de tu adiós,” to name a few.
“I am more than grateful for this beautiful award for my career,” says Tañón. “It means all the sacrifices made, all the nights never lost; learned, it’s better to say. And to be valued in such a way is a reminder that we have really done the right thing: to have chosen what we wanted to do with our lives, and we have achieved it.” “I hope that many young women are encouraged to continue this beauty [of a career] that is not easy, but is wonderful,” she adds.
A winner of Grammy and Latin Grammy awards and also featured this year by Billboard in the top 10 of the 50 Greatest Latin Pop Artists of All Time, Tañón recalls her beginnings, reflects on her greatest achievements, and shares the secret to a long-lasting career.