Get To Know This Year’s Billboard Women In Music Global Force Honorees

The 2024 Billboard Women in Music Awards has proven itself to be one of the most groundbreaking editions of the ceremony since its inception. This year, the esteemed event made a statement to uplift women all across the world with honoring multiple Latina artists, recognizing K-Pop girl group NewJeans, and introducing the first-ever Global Force Award.

The honorees for the Global Force Award were selected by various Billboard franchises across the globe, including Billboard Philippines, Billboard Arabia, Billboard Argentina, Billboard Italy, Billboard China, Billboard Georgia, and Billboard Brazil. At the event in Los Angeles, California, Sarah Geronimo, Italy’s Annalisa, and Brazil’s Luísa Sonza were in attendance to personally receive their awards. Watch the replay of the ceremony here.

This March, Billboard Philippines is set to host its own local version of the Women in Music Awards, the first of its kind in Asia. The Woman of the Year, Icon, Powerhouse, Hitmaker, Rising Star, and Rulebreaker awards will be given to distinguished Filipinas of the past, present, and future who have established their influence in the music industry. Billboard Philippines will also honor the two Filipinas who are part of the fan-voted Listeners’ Choice and People’s Choice categories. Voting for the two awards is now open and will run until March 20, 11:59PM (Philippine time). Vote for the People’s Choice Award here and the Listeners’ Choice Award here.

With that, learn more about this year’s Global Force honorees from Sarah Geronimo to Tia Ray below.

Sarah Geronimo

For the Philippine audience, Sarah Geronimo needs no introduction. As Philippine pop royalty, she has sold out countless concerts, inspired and mentored new generations of Filipino artists through her stint on The Voice Kids, and crafted hit after hit throughout her illustrious career. We know her from “Tala,” “Kilometro,” “Ikot-Ikot,” and so many more songs that have shaped Philippine pop as we know it today. For Billboard Philippines, there was no question that selecting Sarah Geronimo was important to solidify her impact, not just in the Philippines but all over the world.

In her introductory video before she went up on the stage to receive the award, Geronimo shared that she considered this as the biggest achievement of her career. As she received the award, she said, “I humbly accept this award on behalf of every amazing, excellent Filipina, Filipino artist back home and all over the world. I’d also like to take this moment to thank God first for the gift of music.” Read the full speech here.

Tia Ray

This year, Billboard China honored singer-songwriter Tia Ray as their pick for the Global Force Award. Tia Ray rose to mainstream fame in 2012 as a finalist on the singing competition show, The Voice of China. As a true global powerhouse, she has collaborated with the likes of Kehlani, Jason Derulo, Gallant, Far East Movement, Jackson Wang, and more.

Sherine Abdel-Wahab

Sherine Abdel-Wahab, sometimes known by her mononym Sherine, was honored by Billboard Arabia as their Global Force Honoree. When the franchise launched its own Hot 100 charts, the singer-actress was the first artist to ever clinch the top spot. Her 2003 track, “Sabry Aalil” went viral on TikTok and has over 24 million streams on Spotify. She was also a former judge on the Arabic version of The Voice.

Annalisa

Joining Sarah Geronimo at the Billboard Women in Music Awards in Los Angeles was Italian pop star Annalisa. “Having the chance to be here on behalf of my country and share these messages is the brightest victory!” she shared during her acceptance speech. She is now the first Italian artist to be awarded at the Billboard Women in Music Awards. She rose to fame in 2010 and 2011 when she became a breakout star on the talent show Amici di Maria De Filippi. Since then, she has released hits like “Sinceramente,” “Mon Amour,” and “DISCO PARADISE,” with all songs have upon tens of millions of streams a piece.

Nini Nutsubidze

Genre-bending artist Nini Nutsubidze was selected by Billboard Georgia for the Global Force honor. In 2024 alone, she has released a three-track EP titled Paper Planes and two singles. Billboard Georgia has described her music as a blend of Georgian culture and experimental electronic production.

Maria Becerra

Up and coming star Maria Becerra has represented Argentina with pride, with her 2021 debut album Animal earning her a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Urban Music Album. Formerly a YouTuber, she proved that she had the chops for making music when a remix of her song “High” peaked at the number two spot on Billboard Argentina‘s Hot 100 chart. In the 2023 Latin Grammys, she received recognitions for Song of the Year, Best Reggaeton Performance, and Best Urban Song.

Luísa Sonza

Luísa Sonza is the sole Brazilian honoree at this year’s Women in Music Awards. She was also the first ever Brazilian artist to get awarded at the Billboard Women in Music Awards. She also performed an English version of her song, “Chico” at the event. In her acceptance speech, she said, “I’m from a small town in Brazil with 6,000 people, and I started my music journey singing [in] a wedding band…and I never, never thought I would be here tonight…This is the first time someone from Brazil is being recognized for this award…And it’s just the beginning!”