KZ Tandingan is honored as this year’s Rule Breaker at Billboard Philippines Women In Music 2026.

Presented by none other than her husband and “Palagi” hitmaker TJ Monterde, the Asia’s Soul Supreme accepted the award for pushing the boundaries as an artist and refusing to be confined to what is expected in the industry, saying, “Who would’ve thought I’d be recognized for being the artist I once told to hide? I was told how to look, how to sound, be soft but not too soft, be powerful but not too loud. But if there’s one thing I learned, after 14 years in this industry, it’s that art was never meant to exist with permission.”

“So I choose to break the rules not just for the sake of rebellion, I choose to break them for survival. Because for so many of us, especially women, the rules were never made with us in mind. So when we break them, when we take up space, when we raise our voices, when we tell the stories we were told to silence, we’re not just making music — we are reclaiming it,” she added.

Closing her speech, she said, “So let’s get excited every time we’re told to follow the rules because it means we’re standing at the edge of change, ready to break them and build something better.”

This award was first given to indie singer-songwriter ena mori at the inaugural Billboard Philippines Women In Music event in 2024.

Other honorees at the third Billboard Philippines Women in Music include Yeng Constantino for the Hitmaker award, G22 for the Rising Star award, Lolita Carbon for the Icon award, KZ Tandingan for the Rule Breaker award, BINI for the Powerhouse award, and Regine Velasquez-Alcasid for the Woman of the Year award.

Subscribe to Billboard Philippines’ YouTube channel here.