Joy — the lead vocalist of the Mexican pop duo Jesse & Joy — brought all her sweetness and sensitivity to the Billboard Latin Women in Music 2026 special, where she delivered an emotional speech while accepting the Espíritu de Cambio (Spirit of Change) award from her friend, actress Justina Machado.

“Music has always accompanied me. It has been present in my earliest memories, in the most beautiful moments, and in the saddest and most difficult times,” the Mexican singer-songwriter began. “It gave me a way to connect and tell stories to build bridges. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that changing the world is not always an enormous act; it starts with the small things, it starts with how we speak to one another, it starts with how we see each other, how we choose to love, and every person’s right to live that love freely.”

“Real change doesn’t come from one voice; it comes from many — coming together, supporting each other, listening to one another. And it also comes from empathy, from how we treat others,” she continued, mentioning animals, minorities, and women. “I accept this recognition with an open heart, reminding us that the spirit of change does not come from one person, but from the community, and in how we treat and support each other.”

As part of Jesse & Joy, the artist has achieved international recognition and earned multiple entries on Billboard charts with hits like “¡Corre!” and “Mi tesoro.” But the lead vocalist of the award-winning Latin pop duo has also proven to be a force on her own, consistently using her voice to advocate for immigrant rights, LGBTQ+ equality, female empowerment, the fight against gender violence, and animal welfare — all while navigating her own personal growth. 

Last year, her Broadway debut as co-writer of the songs for the musical Real Women Have Curves earned her a Tony Award nomination in the category of best original score. Today, she receives the Spirit of Change award at Billboard Latin Women in Music — which recognizes artists who promote positive changes within music and beyond entertainment. Joy was saluted for inspiring change through her music, activism, and unwavering commitment to inclusion and justice.

Moments before accepting the award, Joy performed a heartfelt medley of “Un besito más,” “Flying Away” — a song she wrote for Real Women Have Curves — and “Love (en nuestro idioma).”

Hosted by Chiquis, the fourth edition of Latin Women in Music was broadcast Thursday (April 23) on Telemundo. Honorees included Rosalía (Woman of the Year), Gloria Trevi (Musical Legacy), Lola Indigo (Artistic Evolution), Ivy Queen (Pioneer), Julieta Venegas (Artistic Excellence), Becky G (Global Impact), and Young Miko (Unstoppable Artist).

Julieta Venegas brought her brilliant pop ballads — and some powerful political messages — to the Billboard Latin Women in Music 2026 special, which aired live on Thursday (April 23) on Telemundo.

Starting at her piano, the Tijuana-born star, with her hair tied back in a ponytail and wearing gold earrings, performed “La Línea,” a song originally in collaboration with Yahritza y Su Esencia that was released on April 9. The deeply emotional track captures the nostalgia and feelings of separation brought about by the border, also known as “la línea,” a colloquial term also referring to the Tijuana-San Ysidro border crossing.

Moments later, Natalia Lafourcade took the stage to present the award to Venegas. “When I was 15, I remember sneaking out of school or home to go to Julieta Venegas’ concerts. Her music was an inspiration, a refuge during my youth. Listening to her gave me strength and made me dream of becoming a singer-songwriter just like her.”

When accepting the honor, Venegas said, “I feel honored and emotional. Thank you to everyone who has accompanied me over the years, listening to and connecting with what I do. Thank you to my team for helping me bring this project to life with love and enthusiasm.”

She continued: “Personally, it has taken me a long time to reconcile the expectations of my upbringing as a woman, a Mexican, and a Tijuana native with my desire to make music and dedicate myself to art. I am deeply grateful to my family for supporting and standing by me through it all. I hope to be planting seeds and removing obstacles so that future generations of girls and young creators can find within themselves the validation and the means to thrive in this complex world. I want to dedicate this award to all the people who are currently separated from their loved ones, whether due to detentions or deportations, or perhaps because they are chasing a dream that takes them away from their families. I wish for them to find hope and resilience to keep moving forward.”

On the Billboard charts, Venegas has achieved multiple entries with her songs and albums. Among them, Limón y Sal earned her first Top 10 on Top Latin Albums in 2006, while timeless hits like “Me Voy” and “Andar Conmigo” placed her among the top spots on Hot Latin Songs and Latin Airplay.  

Hosted by Chiquis, the fourth edition of Latin Women in Music also honors Rosalía as Woman of the Year, as well as Gloria Trevi (Musical Legacy), Lola Indigo (Artist Evolution), Ivy Queen (Pioneer), Julieta Venegas (Artistic Excellence), Becky G (Global Impact), Young Miko (Unstoppable Artist), and Joy (Spirit of Change).

Lola Indigo brought her brilliant fusion of pop with flamenco to the special Billboard Latin Women in Music 2026, broadcast live on Thursday (April 23) on Telemundo. The Spanish star — elegant in a simple black dress and her long hair loose — debuted the song “Tus iniciales” as part of a medley that included her hit “Verde,” accompanied by half a dozen dancers.

Moments later, she accepted the Evolution award from none other than her fellow countryman David Bisbal, with whom she shares the experience of starting out on the popular talent competition Operación Triunfo, which this year is making its debut in the United States through Telemundo.

While presenting her award, Bisbal praised her talent and discipline demonstrated over the years.

“I admire this man so much,” Indigo said, visibly emotional, adding that she is lucky to call him her friend after growing up watching him sing on TV.

After drawing laughter from the audience by jokingly saying she didn’t have a speech prepared, she recalled that the first woman who gave her an opportunity in music was Mala Rodriguez, to whom she dedicated the award. “This makes me think about something that has been the foundation of my singing and my career, which is to respect the legends and help those who are coming up. Respect those who have paved the way for us, and give a hand to those who are just starting out, invite them to sing, bring that new talent to light,” she said.

Since her debut single “Ya no quiero ná” went viral in 2018, Lola Indigo has shone in her native Spain and beyond, collaborating with international artists such as Mexican star Belinda, Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi, and Argentine artist Maria Becerra. With the latter, she has released three collaborations, including “High (Remix)” in 202, also featuring Tini, as well as “DISCOTEKA” in 2022 and “LA REINA (REMIX)” in 2025, which also included Villano Antillano.

The artist, whose real name is Miriam Doblas Muñoz, started as a professional dancer before transitioning to music and was the first contestant eliminated from Operación Triunfo when she competed on the popular Spanish talent reality show in 2017. Eight years later, she reached a historic milestone by performing at Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, cementing her status as a superstar.

Hosted by Chiquis, the fourth edition of Latin Women in Music also honors Rosalía as Woman of the Year, as well as Gloria Trevi (Lifetime Achievement), Ivy Queen (Pioneer), Julieta Venegas (Artistic Excellence), Becky G (Global Impact), Young Miko (Unstoppable Artist), and Joy (Agent of Change).

Young Miko lit up the Billboard Latin Women in Music 2026 ceremony, broadcast live on Thursday (April 23) via Telemundo. The young sensation of Puerto Rican urban music performed her new single “BIAF <3,” whose title is an acronym for “Baby I’m a Freak,” in a laid-back urban set accompanied by a small group of dancers.

Moments later, she received the Unstoppable award from her fellow Puerto Rican artist and first collaborator Villano Antillano, who introduced her as her “little sister” and praised her as an artist who “decided to break the rules,” adding that her “success isn’t luck; her success is vision, it’s hard work, it’s not asking for permission.”

With her trademark calm demeanor, Young Miko expressed her gratitude upon accepting the award: “I feel very special to be surrounded by so many incredible women who hold so much power, who are unique, and who I admire greatly. When I think of the word unstoppable, I don’t think of someone who never gets tired, who never stops. On the contrary, I think of someone who has such a strong desire to create, to be honest, that stopping is not an option for them.”

“There will always be moments of doubt or questioning whether it’s worth it, but then I realize those are things that are part of the journey,” she added. “Creating is existing, existing is creating. Today, I share this award with the people around me who never doubted me, even when I doubted myself. I hope this serves as motivation for others to know that anything in life is possible. From Puerto Rico to the world!”

Young Miko has solidified herself as an unstoppable force since her debut in 2021 with her hit “105 Freestyle.” With clever rap verses that are both empowering and resilient — supported by her soft, sweet voice — the Puerto Rican rapper has boldly and confidently broken into a genre traditionally dominated by men, often addressing her queer identity in her lyrics.

Born María Victoria Ramírez de Arellano Cardona, Young Miko has achieved major collaborations with Bad Bunny, Arcángel, Feid, Bizarrap, and Karol G, to name a few. On the Billboard charts, she boasts seven entries on the Global 200, four on Hot Latin Songs, three on Latin Airplay, and two on Top Latin Albums. Her first entry on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 came in 2023 with the track “Classy 101” in collaboration with Feid.

Hosted by Chiquis, the fourth edition of Latin Women in Music also honored Rosalía as Woman of the Year, as well as Gloria Trevi (Musical Legacy), Ivy Queen (Pioneer), Julieta Venegas (Artistic Excellence), Young Miko (Unstoppable Artist), Joy (Agent of Change), and Lola Indigo (Artistic Evolution).

A lot of equivocating and elaborating followed Godsmack‘s declaration in 2023 that it’s ninth album, Lighting Up the Sky, would be its last.

And now, as the Boston-formed heavy rock troupe prepares for the release of its new Live at the Mohegan Sun album, next Friday, May 1, and this summer’s Rise of Rock World Tour, frontman Sully Erna tells Billboard that there is indeed more to come.

“Definitely there’s gonna be a new record — I just don’t know when it’s coming,” Erna says. “We’ll probably get some new music out by early ’27, I suppose. I’m starting to noodle (on new songs), but it’s a little too soon to say.”

Some significant things have happened since Lighting Up the Sky’s release to bring about Godsmack’s change in tone, none more crucial than guitarist Tony Rombola and drummer Shannon Larkin’s decision to retire from the band following the tour supporting Lighting Up the Sky — “on good terms, but for no other reason than to fulfill their desire to live a more simple and quiet life away from touring,” according to a statement by Erna during April of 2025. Erna said he and bassist Robbie Merrill were “excited to explore new directions.” They filled out the band with Evanescence drummer Will Hunt and Dorothy guitarist Sam Koltun and toured in Europe during 2025.

“Me and Robbie sat down and had a long talk,” Erna recalls now. “We contemplated kind of retiring the band…but we were just like, ‘We don’t really want to stop yet. We feel like we have some gas in the tank. We love what we do.’ (Hunt and Koltun) are strong, great players that really did an amazing job at honoring the music. Their attention to detail is perfect, (and) because the vocals don’t change I really think people will enjoy the music and the brand the same as they have in the past, because that’s really what it’s about. It’s about celebrating the music, celebrating the catalog.

“So we’re like, ‘Let’s run this thing and see how it feels.’ Me and Robbie started this thing together a long time ago; it was just me and him to begin with, now it’s back to me and him. We made a promise to each other in the early days –‘we don’t know what this thing’s gonna be. Let’s just write some music, get in the studio, have fun with it, and no pressure.’ And the thing ended up turning into a multi-platinum brand.

“And now we’re kind of using the same concept. We don’t know if it’s gonna feel good, not feel good, if it’s gonna have longevity or if it’s gonna die next week. But we’ve got some gas in the tank now, so let’s go out there and run it and see how it feels, see how people respond. Who knows; we might get surprised again and have Godsmack 2.0 for the next 10 years running, the second chapter in my life.”

Godsmack will give fans a hint of that next era with a new song before the Rise of Rock tour starts May 7 at the Welcome to Rockville festival in Florida, with Stone Temple Pilots and Dorothy also on board. Erna and company have teamed with Dorothy for a track called “Set Me Free,” which he describes as “an incredibly powerful and really straight-up, bad-ass, boot-kicking rock song. (Dorothy Martin) has a hell of a voice; she’s so cool and smokey and bluesy. We were really up to do a song with her, so we jumped in the studio with Scott Stevens and me producing, and it’s really cool. The voices work really well together. I’m really excited to release that song and have that get out on the Internet and the airwaves and see how people respond.”

Rise of Rock currently has dates booked through Sept. 26, mostly at amphitheaters and with a few other festivals in the mix.

Before that, however, Godsmack will drop Live at the Mohegan Sun via Primary Wave, an album and film documenting the Oct. 26, 2024 concert in Uncasville, Conn., that wrapped the group’s Best of Times World Tour and was its last show with Rombola and Larkin. “It was very emotional,” Erna recalls. “You can see it on our faces, on the audience faces, ‘oh my God, this is it.’ I remember coming to the last song, ‘I Stand Alone,’ and we’re getting to the final chords and my body started to lose it. It was so surreal; ‘the song’s going to be over in the next seven seconds, and I can’t handle it!’ I just remember hugging Tony on stage. It was just wild.”

In addition to the performance, the video — directed by Daniel Catullo — captures Godsmack offstage, including a post-show “retirement party” for Rombola and Larkin. “It’s something I’m incredibly proud of, because it came out so damn good,” Erna says. “It looks amazing, it sounds amazing but more importantly they captured everything, all the emotion. If everyone’s ever been a fan of the band and doesn’t get this, you won’t ever be able to have the proper closure that we’ve had by releasing it.”

During its tenure so far, Godsmack has released six top 10 albums on the Billboard 200, including three that hit No. 1. It’s also logged 13 No. 1 Mainstream Rock chart singles and was the rock artist of the year at the 2001 Billboard Music Awards, along with 16 Boston Music Awards and four Grammy Award nominations. And while he’s keeping the band’s recording future somewhat open-ended, Erna promises that anything fans hear will not stray too far from what they know and love about Godsmack.

“We’ll always be a hard rock band,” he says, “whether we’re gonna go back to the roots and put out a Pantera-style, heavy as f*** record or if we’re gonna continue into this rock ‘n’ roll sunset that we’ve kind of gotten into as we grew and aged and become better songwriters and better entertainers. I personally loved going back to the nostalgia of rock and bringing a little bit more of this traditional rock ‘n’ roll vibe to it, whether it’s high-energy or more ’70s-style rock.

“Either way, Godsmack has established ourselves to be the beast that it is, like AC/DC (doesn’t) waver too far from what they do. A lot of what we honor is always trying to be a good, tough, edgy hard rock band — not metal, not blues, just a straight-up hard rock band that represents big energy. It’ll be interesting to see, with some new players, where the direction goes. Obviously there’s gonna be a new flame, new inspiration, what their backgrounds are about and what they naturally play and how we incorporate that into the writing. It’s exciting.”