Rosalía was honored with the Billboard Hall of Fame Award at the 2026 Billboard Latin Music Awards on Thursday night (Oct. 22). Dominican star Juan Luis Guerra presented her with the award.
“Juan Luis, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the enormous, incredible honor of receiving this from your hands. You are a master among masters — your songs have made me cry, made me dance, and made me feel alive. I am in shock; I will never forget this moment,” the Spanish singer-songwriter said during her acceptance speech. “I wouldn’t be able to do what I do if it weren’t for the artists who came before me and paved the way—artists like him, whom I admire so much. Celia Cruz, Rocío, Vicente Fernandez, Daddy Yankee…it is incredible to be receiving this today. And last but certainly not least, thank you to Latin America for the place you’ve given me, and for all these years of inspiration and lessons. I hope to keep finding ways to return all that affection and generosity to you. Here’s to many more years — thank you!”
The Billboard Hall of Fame Award, which was first dedicated to Selena Quintanilla in 1995, celebrates “an extraordinary career defined by musical innovation, a singular artistic vision and an influence that has transcended genres, languages and borders,” according to a press release.
Later in the evening, Rosalía won Top Latin Pop Album of the Year for LUX.
“Thank God, and thank you to my family, my team, and my fans,” she shared. “I’m not sure if LUX is a pop album — I think it is, I hope so, anyway … honestly, I am so happy to be here. I come from Barcelona, and I am so proud to make music in Spanish. It’s truly special for me to be part of this celebration of Latin music — long live Latin music, long live the people of Latin America, and long live music in Spanish!”
Rosalía, who was named Woman of the Year at the 2026 Billboard Latin Women in Music gala earlier this year, recently wrapped her LUX World Tour in Miami in September.
The 57-show arena tour that kicked off in March and spanned Europe, North America, and South America was in support of her latest studio album, LUX, which reached No. 1 on five Billboard charts: Top Latin Albums, Top Latin Pop Albums, Classical Albums, Classical Crossover, and World Albums charts.
The Billboard Latin Music Awards coincide with the 2026 Billboard Latin Music Week that took place from Oct. 19 to Oct. 21 at the Faena Forum in Miami Beach. This year, Latin music’s biggest industry event counted with the participation of Pitbull, Becky G, Maluma, Fuerza Regida, Kany García, Ruben Blades, Grupo Frontera, Quevedo and many more.
