2026 Billboard Women in Music Awards Recap: Best Moments

When Tyla presented Zara Larsson with the Breakthrough Artist award, Tyla called Larsson a “fun time to be around.” Larsson proved this to be true when she took the stage to perform her smash hit “Midnight Sun.” Clad in a sparkly top and skirt set with four dancers at her side, Larsson delivered stadium-worthy vocals and intricate choreography — she even belted while being lifted into the air by her dancers.

In her acceptance speech, the Swedish pop star reminded the audience that though she is winning the Breakthrough Award and may be new to many, she’s been at it for over a decade now. Her secret to finally breaking through? “I became the most ‘me’ around amazing women.” — ANNIE HARRIGAN

Coco Jones presented Mariah the Scientist with the Rising Star award presented by Honda Stage using a scientific method as a nod to Mariah’s studies in biology. Jones celebrated Mariah’s six Hot 100 hits before Mariah took the stage to perform “Rainy Days,” backed by a video of falling rain. Mariah then welcomed Kali Uchis to the stage to perform their hit “Is It a Crime.”

The Rising Star recipient thanked Billboard for the recognition and continued support, stating, “I appreciate you for designating this moment as mine.” 

“To all the women here,” Mariah continued, “I identify with you and all the challenges that come with cultivating your inner life.” — TAYLOR MIMS

Despite being honored as Billboard’s Women in Music Hitmaker for 2026, Tate McRae isn’t entirely sure she lives up to the title.

“The word ‘hitmaker’ makes it sound like you wake up every day knowing exactly what you’re doing,” McRae said from the stage, where she accepted the award from Victoria Monét. “I can confirm I do not. Most of the time, I’m in a room overthinking a song for eight hours.”

“A lot of the songs that have done the most came from moments that felt very small at the time. Like emotions I didn’t fully understand, or maybe couldn’t communicate,” she continued. “And turning those feelings into music is my way of catching up with myself, I suppose.”

Prior to accepting the award, McRae performed a pitch-perfect acoustic version of “Nobody’s Girl” from her Billboard 200 No. 1 album So Close to What??? Speaking of hits, the album had plenty, from “Tit for Tat” to “Sports Car” to “You Broke Me First.” Whether she feels like a Hitmaker or not, her Billboard chart history speaks for itself. — CHRIS EGGERTSEN

Kim Petras presented Elizabeth Matthews, the CEO of ASCAP, with Women in Music Executive of the Year award. “She proves that being a boss and being an advocate go hand in hand,” Petras said of Matthews.

Matthews praised Petras and all songwriters in her acceptance speech, remarking, “Without you, there would be no music industry.” She thanked her team and family, plus all the women at the Hollywood Palladium — a room she described as “filled with positivity and joy and all this estrogen.” — RACHEL SCHARF

Ella Langley proved why she was Billboard Women in Music’s Powerhouse recipient with a stripped-down performance of “Choosin’ Texas,” her record-breaking No. 1 smash on the Hot 100 from her Billboard 200-chart topping album Dandelion. 

Fresh off her Stagecoach-headlining spot, Lainey Wilson presented to Langley, saying, “She’s the kind of chick that doesn’t just walk into a room; she kicks the door down.”

“It’s crazy to see what’s happening” with country music’s popularity, Langley said, ruminating on what the word “powerhouse” meant to her, citing “strength, resilience… there hasn’t been a day I wanted to do anything else.” — MELINDA NEWMAN

Jazz-pop artist Laufey was presented with the Innovator award by Brandi Carlile. “I was sharing like a dressing room wall with her last year at Glastonbury,” Carlile said. “And I heard this ridiculously angelic and timeless voice cutting through all the backstage noise…I absolutely had to find out who that voice was, who it belonged to. And it was, of course, Laufey.”

After playing a solo rendition of her song “Silver Lining,” Laufey accepted the award and used her speech to highlight women from her native Iceland who are “wonderful examples of innovative women,” as she put it. She points out how inspired she is by her mother, famous singer Björk, and the country’s female prime minister and president, but she ends by humbling adding “but I really think every woman in this industry is an innovator.” — KRISTIN ROBINSON

In presenting the 2026 Billboard Women in Music Impact award to Kehlani, Ciara said she’s especially pleased “when I get to celebrate an artist whose music keeps climbing the charts and whose compassion [for helping others] is off charts.”

After delivering a rousing performance of her Grammy-winning song “Folded,” Kehlani shared her definition of impact: “I’ve watched how easy it is for us to lose entire pieces of our lives; to be so consumed by what we’re building that we forget to actually live inside of it. I used to think impact meant to reach numbers and visibility; being everywhere at once. But the older I get, the more I understand that impact is much quieter than that. It’s in the way we show up for each other. It’s in the boundaries we keep. It’s in the parts of ourselves we refuse to abandon in order to succeed. Impact is choosing to stay human in a space that often rewards you for being anything but.” — GAIL MITCHELL

Dressed in a red floral dress and backed by dancers in mariachi outfits, Thalia stormed the stage with her signature Mexican charm to performi a medley of “Piel Morena” and “Amor a la Mexicana,” later joined by a mariachi band interacting with the audience, a staple in Regional Mexican music. The former song earned Thalia her first top 10 on Hot Latin Songs chart, reaching No. 7 in 1995, while “Amor” peaked at No. 6 in 1997. The Mexican singer accepted the Icon award presented by Eva Longoria, who reflected on the singer’s preeminent career spanning nearly four decades: “approaching each start as a new adventure,” Longoria highlighted. 

 “I really receive this with so much love and gratitude,” said an emotional Thalia, looking back at her remarkable success. “An icon is a survivor,” she said, “one who falls, stands up and keeps going because there is no other option. Go get your dreams!”

“I want to dedicate this award to the little girl who I once was,” she added, “the little Thalia who stepped on a television set and found magic in front of the camera. To every single kid who dares to dream big, do not stop.” — PAMELA BUSTIOS

EJAE, AUDREY NUNA & REI AMI — the singing voices of HUNTR/X, the girl group at the center of Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters — capped their golden year on Wednesday night as they were honored as the Women of the Year at the Billboard Women in Music gala.

They performed “Golden,” the song that took them to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks last year, as images of their animated HUNTR/X counterparts were projected behind them.

Each of the women took a moment at the mic after being presented the award by Ella Mai, with EJAE up first. “I just want to say to every woman who may feel unseen, your voice is something to honor,” she said. “Your story is not something to dilute, it’s something to amplify. And your identity is not a barrier, it’s your power.”

REI followed, saying in part: “Thank you to all the women in this room for using your superpowers to inspire, lead and protect. We are not too much. We are not too loud. We are exactly who the f— we think we are.”

AUDREY had the last word, saying in her speech: “Our empathy is an asset, our humanness is a catalyst and portal for change. Thank you so much.” — KATIE ATKINSON

The crowd welcomed the incomparable Dionne Warwick to the stage with a standing ovation, as she introduced Billboard’s Women in Music Visionary, Warwick’s self-proclaimed “alter ego,” Teyana Taylor.

Draped in satin, Taylor sat for a moving, acoustic rendition of “Bed of Roses” from her Grammy-nominated Escape Room, released in August 2025. A five-piece band backed Taylor as rose petals floated down from the ceiling, and Wale joined her for his verses on the stripped-down performance.

After, Taylor embraced Warwick and took out her glasses to read the teleprompter — which didn’t have her speech. Taylor and Warwick abruptly left the stage to a stunned audience. But Taylor got her well-deserved moment, as she and Warwick returned at the show’s end so Taylor could share her heartfelt speech.

Wearing a gray sweatsuit but still looking glamorous as ever, Taylor revisited 20 years spent “holding onto a dream even when it felt like it was slipping through my fingers.” Though she’s explored a number of disciplines throughout her career, “Music is my first love,” Taylor said. And in the spirit of the event, Taylor shouted out her mother, her “backbone,” who advocated for her amid the teleprompter technical difficulties, as only a mom could. “It was so dope watching you curse them out backstage,” she said, to applause and laughter from the crowd, while also thanking the team for its accountability in the next breath. — CHRISTINE WERTHMAN

Keke Palmer, the 2026 Billboard Women in Music emcee, also opened the show as its first performer, singing “Text Message Unsent” from her upcoming movie I Love Boosters. As scenes from the Boots Riley-directed film (out May 22) played behind her, Palmer performed alongside two backup dancers shredding on guitars for the rock-tinged song.

Palmer kept things fun and light throughout the night, especially when she vamped for time following the Woman of the Year acceptance to allow for Teyana Taylor’s triumphant return to the stage for her speech, telling a story about her son Leo putting on Keke’s Ugg boots and pretending to go to work to sing, just like his mama. — K.A.