Highlights at the 2024 Billboard Women in Music Awards

After JoJo's performance of “On My Mama,” a surprise host took the stage to present Victoria Monét with her Rising Star Award: her own mom. “Hi, I'm L'Tanya Chestang-Cubit aka Mommy Monét… [and] tonight is a testament to your remarkable abilities,” L'Tanya told her daughter, who marveled at her speech: “It's one thing to receive an award, but to receive it from someone you've known your whole life is really awesome . “

The YouTube Theater crowd certainly played favorites, as artists were either mentioned or in the crowd (with Woman of the Year Karol G in particular getting plenty of cheers). But no fan was louder than NewJeans' Bunnies, who made themselves known throughout the night — mostly from the balcony, but judging by the light sticks on the lower level, they were everywhere. “Looking back over the past two years, we've been so incredibly blessed,” Danielle said during her NewJeans Team of the Year acceptance speech. “We got to experience so many new and exciting things. It was simply the best year. All these things wouldn't be possible without you, bunnies!”

As she took to the stage to accept the Producer of the Year Award, PinkPantheress walked up the stairs opposite where presenter Coco Jones was waiting with the award, meaning the UK artist had a long way to go. He didn't hesitate to jog across the stage, leaving her anxious for her acceptance speech. “I was at university in a dormitory – oh, my heart was beating so fast! – when I decided that there was no way that graduating from university was going to make me happy in the long run,” she breathed, even throwing in an unintentional pun.

In accepting her Visionary Award, Maren Morris made sure to thank the inner circle of women who helped her through a rollercoaster year that saw her cut ties with the country music community and split from fellow by artist Ryan Hurd. wife of more than five years. “I would not have been able to survive this last year of my life,” he said. “Not to be serious, but this year has been a lot, and the women in my life have really rallied around me and kept me going.”

Charli XCX showed exactly why she's taking home the Powerhouse Award when she debuted an emotional new song live on the Women in Music stage. “This song is about a person who is really, really special to me who is no longer with us,” XCX announced before the show. “It's called 'So I.'” The song is dedicated to the late producer SOPHIE, who died in January 2021, and whom Charli credits with creating the super-pop genre, along with producer AG Cook.

Before receiving the Global Force Award, Brazilian singer Luísa Sonza surprised the crowd with an unannounced appearance by Demi Lovato. The pop star appeared to join Sonza for their duet “Penhasco2.” “First off, thanks for Demi Lovato [joining] me,” Sonja said after the performance, which also included an English/Portuguese version of her song “Chico.” “I'm a Brazilian singer, I sing mostly in Portuguese, so it's so crazy and I'm so nervous right now.”

Tems received the Breakthrough Award and is ready to help every woman live the moment of discovery, realizing that we are all in this together. “I really want to take this opportunity to say to all the women in the room, in the world, that no matter what you're going through, you should know that you're not alone,” Tems said in her acceptance speech. “So even when you're sad, even when you're angry, there's someone who's angry. So lift up everyone around you because they need it like you do and someone is there for you. The women are the ones who took the women, believe me.'

Much was made of all the incredible achievements of the night's honorees, but Icon Award recipient Kylie Minogue wanted to make sure to remember “all the moments that were not peak moments. They weren't having fun. But those challenges, the lows, the things we have to go through sometimes, I wanted to give a big shout out to all the terrible moments. Thanks for teaching us. They were scary right now, but they happen, and it's how we navigate them and what we do with them. I'm not looking forward to the next one, but it will come.”

Advertising sign2024 Woman of the Year Karol G stuck to the evening's energizing theme, inviting an all-female band of dancers, singers and instrumentalists to join her for a salsa rendition of her 2023 hit 'Amargura'. There were a total of 13 performers on stage, including Gloria and Emilio Estefan's daughter Emily Estefan on drums. Everyone was dressed in all white for the heartwarming performance, which fully showcased the Colombian superstar's talent and charm by stripping down to the basics. He understood the mission.