ANITTA at Billboard Latin Women in Music 2025. Credit to Telemundo
Los Angeles, California (April 25, 2025)- In a night filled with emotion, music, and a tribute to female power, ANITTA made history by becoming the first artist to receive the Vanguard Award at the third annual Billboard Latin Women in Music 2025. This special recognition celebrates her ability to break molds, challenge expectations, and redefine the global reach of Latin music. With a career marked by innovation and boldness, ANITTA has brought Brazilian funk to international stages and fused it with genres like reggaeton, pop, and R&B, creating a distinctive sound that places her among the most influential voices of her generation.
The ceremony was made even more memorable by the presence of Shakira, who presented the award to her colleague and friend with a heartfelt speech. “I’m so happy to give this award to a great artist, but also to a great friend. They say the world is just a blank canvas for creation, and if anyone knows how to draw life with their ideas and contagious joy, it’s ANITTA. Tonight, I congratulate a friend who brought the future into the present. Congratulations Anitta for this much-deserved Vanguard Award!” Shakira said to a standing ovation.
In her thank-you speech, ANITTA moved the audience with her words: “Thank you, thank you so much! Thanks to my friend Shakira, who will always be an incredible inspiration to me. Thanks to my manager, a woman I admire greatly, to Leila from Billboard, to all the women in the industry, and to all those being honored tonight.” Shortly after, she gave one of the most intimate moments of the evening with an acoustic performance of “Larissa,” her latest single. Accompanied only by a guitar, ANITTA revealed her most personal and vulnerable side, allowing her voice—both fragile and powerful—to deeply connect with the audience.
The Billboard Latin Women in Music event has solidified itself as a vital platform for celebrating the impact of women in the music industry, and the recognition of ANITTA reaffirms her role as a revolutionary and visionary artist. From her breakthrough in the Brazilian scene to her meteoric rise in the global market, ANITTA has amassed unprecedented achievements: with her hit “Envolver,” she became the first Brazilian artist to reach number 1 on Spotify Global, was nominated for Best New Artist at the 2023 GRAMMYs, and in 2024, she swept multiple awards with her album Funk Generation. This album earned her GRAMMY and Latin GRAMMY nominations, as well as recognition such as the MTV VMA for Best Latin Video. She was also honored by Variety at their Power of Women event for her charitable efforts in Brazil and celebrated as a Change Agent at the Premios Juventud.
In 2025, ANITTA continues to break barriers. She opened the year with her “Ensayos de Anitta” tour, filling stadiums in Brazil, announced the premiere of her highly anticipated Netflix documentary Larissa, The Other Side of Anitta, and released her new single “Romeo,” which has been enthusiastically received by her global fanbase. With a career built on talent, resilience, and authenticity, ANITTA is not only transforming music but inspiring an entire generation of artists to imagine without limits and create without fear.
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