Karol G becomes first Latina named woman of the year at Billboard ceremony honoring global musicians

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Karol G made history at Wednesday night's Billboard Women in Music awards ceremony.

“This is the first time, ever, a Latina is named woman of the year,” Karol G began her acceptance speech after a fiery performance of her reggaetón hit, "Amargura." And so, in honor of that incredible feat, she delivered the rest of her speech in Spanish.

The global superstar received the award at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California, after a lively introduction from her “Griselda” co-star Sofia Vergara.

Of course, Karol G is used to making history at this point. Last month, she became the first woman to win in the best música urbana category at the Grammys, a moment that may reflect changing perceptions of reggaetón and Latin hip-hop as exclusively “men’s music." Last year, her album “Mañana Será Bonito,” one of The Associated Press' picks for best of the year, became the first ever Spanish-language album by a female artist to hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200. (Not only that, but “Mañana Será Bonito” is the first Latin album — by a Latina — to reach No. 1 on the albums chart since Selena Quintanilla's posthumous “Dreaming of You,” did in 1995 following her high-profile murder.)