Right after performing a soulful salsa version of “Amargura,” Karol G took center stage at the YouTube Theater on Wednesday (March 6) to accept her award for Woman of the Year at the 2024 Billboard Women in Music Awards.
Colombian actress and producer Sofía Vergara introduced Karol — who made her acting debut alongside Vergara on Netflix Griselda earlier this year — with the special award.
Here is Karol's full speech, with everything after the first paragraph translated from Spanish to English.
“First of all, it's an amazing surprise that Sofía Vergara is giving me this award, I love it. Good night to all. It is a great honor to be here today. Oh my God, [this] it might be the most significant and important recognition of my entire career, this is extremely special. This is Woman of the Year, but this is the first time a Latina has been named Woman of the Year. So, I have to give my speech in Spanish, of course.
“Well, this is Women in Music, so I'm going to talk about us. I must first start by telling you that for years and years I lived very frustrated with the fact that I am a woman. I found myself on the road with so many rejections and so many missed opportunities. Because of this, I wondered why I wasn't born a man to take advantage of all this love, this desire and passion I felt for music. Where would all this desire I had to eat the world go if it was thought that as a woman I could not achieve it? For a long time I believed this story. I thought this wasn't for me. I've been told many times that I can't make it and I always think about the number of people who leave their dreams behind and put their dreams aside for this reason, for the perception of others but not for the actual dream they have. desire they have inside. In the midst of my desire, in the midst of my desire to make music even if it was just for me, I decided that if my environment didn't change, I was the one who needed to change and I was the one who was going to do it. And that I wouldn't let being a woman be a hindrance or define my capabilities, but that it would be my strength, my motivation and my reason. And every time I was told no, I found the strength and the desire and everything I needed to say, yes, I can. In my mind I changed 'a woman can't do it' to 'look at this woman how she does it, look at how a woman does it'.
“Three main things happened for me to be here tonight. First, I stopped trying to be perfect for everyone. I accepted myself as a person, actually it took me a long time, to accept myself as a woman, as a person, to stop hiding the things that for people were a flaw and which are probably now all my qualities. Number two, I completely ignored and still completely ignore the comments of “he owes it to him” or “it wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for that person” or “because he recorded with this other person” or “he did it because he gave it to him ». The eagerness to find excuses for a woman's achievements and successes, mmm no. You don't have to prove anything to anyone when you know how much you've killed yourself to achieve everything you've achieved in life. And number three, I realized that it wasn't the respect of others that I had to earn, but the respect of myself. To work hard to the point where I could see myself and admire the person I had become. I study, I work, I work on my voice, I am clear about what I wanted to communicate. How I wanted to connect with people, improve my lyrics, spend long hours in the studio. To really prepare myself to be the best and when I would see myself, I would be like, wow, she's tough, how wonderful, and that's the respect you have to look for.
“I look back now, all the time it took me to be here, 16 years, and I feel very at peace with myself for following my heart. [you] FOLLOW your heart. I see the process, I wouldn't remove anything. All the things, from the most beautiful to the most difficult, I am grateful for today and they have made me the person I am. I see no pain, I see many opportunities created, I see learning, I see goals achieved and many hearts inspired. This is the nicest award I can receive, I love you. I really thank you.
“Today, as I receive this award, I want to say [to myself] Karol G you are incredible, congratulations. This is not just for me. I want to thank all the people, all the women who also work every day, who also open a path that we do not know, all those who have worked. For the women who work on my team, there are many. And to the women who will come in the future, who are also working very hard already. I didn't want to stand here and say all the things I've done, I'm really standing here to say that as I did, so can all of you. And never, ever give someone else the power to decide your own decisions, to say whether something you do is bad or good, has value or no value. No one can give you value as a person, not as a woman, not as a professional. It is you who work for it, sweat for it, acquire it and earn it. And how it stings [great] which they gave me [the award] This year. Thank you, Billboard, I love you all.”
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/karol-g-woman-of-the-year-speech-translated-english-women-in-music-1235626853/
