The Latin Recording Academy has announced its 2021 Leading Ladies of Entertainment, and all four women are more than deserving to be featured on the list. The names being honored this year are Ivy Queen, Mónica Vélez, Mia Nygren, and Mayna Nevarez.
Ivy Queen is often credited as one of the pioneers of the Reggaéton genre. The “Queen of Reggaéton” has a few Billboard Latin Music awards to go along with a successful film and television career. Back in 2018, the Puerto Rican musician spoke with Remezcla about her legacy and the impact of her career. “I’m a lyricist and also a writer, so it was a big impact for many people because they were not prepared,” she told us. “Reggaeton was talking about women and asses, and I was talking about empowerment.”
Vélez is a composer with two Grammys to her name. She has written for big names like Marc Anthony and Luis Fonsi. Nygren oversees the Latin American operations for Spotify, and Nevarez has her own company, Nevarez Entertainment. She is the founder and CEO of Nevarez Communications, who guides the careers of Daddy Yankee and Carlos Vives.
This year’s picks stay true to the Academy’s initiative that launched five years ago: a goal is to honor women from various entertainment and arts fields who have furthered the contributions of women leaders and inspire the up and comers. These women indeed fit the part.
This year, because of the ongoing pandemic, the women will be honored during a virtual ceremony hosted by Carlos Ponce on Nov. 16 at 7:00 p.m. EST.