Thalia delivered one of the most colorful moments on Wednesday (April 29) at the 2026 Billboard Women in Music awards, where she not only showcased her signature charm but also her Mexican pride by bringing along a full mariachi band for her vibrant musical performance.
The Mexican superstar, who was honored with the Icon Award, lit up the stage with a medley of her timeless hits “Piel Morena” and “Amor a la Mexicana” — the former of which earned her her first top 10 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart, where it peaked at No. 7 in 1995, while the latter reached No. 6 in 1997.
Clad in a short, bright red dress with a flowing cape of the same color, the artist began the opening verses of “Piel Morena” accompanied by two guitarists, who were soon joined by four dancers dressed in white, sleeveless mariachi suits. The real surprise came with “Amor a la Mexicana,” when an all-female mariachi group took the stage to accompany her, while a large male mariachi ensemble — dressed in black — appeared, playing their music as they moved through the aisles amidst the audience.
Immediately afterward — still catching her breath — Thalia received her award from the hands of actress and activist Eva Longoria, who praised her extensive career and hailed her as a true “chingona” (Mexican slang for bad-ass).
“I’m truly, truly blessed to be among this incredible crowd, this inspiring group of artists and women,” Thalia said, evidently emotional, as she thanked Billboard, her family, her fans and all the people who have accompanied her throughout her career. “Thank you for walking with me for more than four decades and generations and countries and languages.”
“You know, I’ve been thinking about this word, ‘icon.’ It’s short. Right? But it’s a long process to arrive there,” she continued. “An icon is a symbol, is a representation of something greater than itself. A story, a culture, a moment in time that lives in people’s hearts. And if my journey has connected in that way, I really receive this with so much love.”
“Being an icon is not about standing here alone. It’s about opening doors so others can walk through them. It’s about holding on to your dreams even in uncertainty and reinventing yourself over and over and over. An icon is a survivor: she falls, she stands up, she keeps going because there’s no option,” she added. “And talking about survivors, I want to dedicate this award to the little girl I once was, to that little Thalia, that little girl who’s still living in me, to that little Thaly who stepped onto a television stage when she was seven years old and found magic in those lights and through the lens of the camera.”
“And to every single kid who dares to dream big, do not stop. Your dreams are not big, you’re just waiting to grow into them,” she concluded, before exclaiming in Spanish, “¡Viva México! ¡Viva los latinos! Gracias.”
Thalia had previously been honored with the Global Powerhouse Award at Billboard Latin Women in Music in 2023.
Known as the Queen of Latin Pop and Queen of Telenovelas, she began her career as a child in the 1980s, both as an actress and as a member of the influential Mexican pop group Timbiriche. When she was just over 20 years old, she was already a global celebrity as the star of the María Trilogy — that series of telenovelas that aired in more than 180 countries to an audience of nearly two billion people.
Since 1990, when she launched her music solo career with progressive pop-rock melodies and a flirty image, she has placed 41 songs on Billboard’s Latin Pop Airplay chart — the third-highest number for a female artist in the chart’s history, behind Shakira (56) and Ednita Nazario (44). She has also been a regular presence on other charts, with 29 entries on Latin Airplay, 26 on Hot Latin Songs, 16 on Top Latin Albums and seven on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart.
The 2026 Women in Music ceremony was hosted by Keke Palmer and streamed live on Billboard’s YouTube channel and Billboard.com.
In addition to Thalia, this year’s honorees included the vocalists of the K-Pop Demon Hunters group HUNTR/X — EJAE, AUDREY NUNA and REI AMI — as Women of the Year, as well as Teyana Taylor (Visionary Award), Zara Larsson (Breakthrough Award), Kehlani (Impact Award), Laufey (Innovator Award), Mariah the Scientist (Rising Star Award) and Tate McRae (Hitmaker Award).
For more on Billboard‘s Women in Music, click here.
