Becky G: Inspiring the World One Day at A Time By: Lupe Llerenas
Bilingual pop phenom Becky G is by far one of my favorite hardest-working women in show business. Born on March 2nd, 1997 in Inglewood, California, the singer, songwriter, and actress was born for the spotlight and her multifaceted career is shaping up to be nothing short of amazing.
The 24-year-old global superstar’s achievements include two No. 1 hit on the Billboard Latin Airplay Charts (“Mayores” & “Sin Pijama”), a starring role in the 2017 film, Power Rangers, and guest-starring in Fox TV’s Emmy-winning Empire series. Becky has won the Latin American Music Award for “Favorite Female Artist” two years in a row and garnered the Latin AMA for “Favorite Urban Song” (for “Mayores”) in 2018. Later that year, she was honored by the Latin Recording Academy as one of the Leading Ladies in Entertainment and by her home city of Inglewood for her contributions to the Latino community.
In 2019, she released her debut album, the Spanish-language Mala Santa, which showed a reflection of her journey in the spotlight. Signing a contract at only 14-years-old, she went through the challenge of growing from a young innocent teen to a woman while the world watched her every move. She earned the “Extraordinary Evolution Award” at the 2019 Latin American Music Awards for her success as a young performer who rapidly reached success. Most recently, in August of 2020, Becky accepted the “Agent of Change Award” at the Premios Juventud for her activism and using her platform to inspire change, where she dedicated the award to frontline COVID-19 essential workers, the fallen U.S. Army soldier Vanessa Guillen and Breonna Taylor.
To celebrate Becky G’s 24 birthday, let’s take a look at seven times she has inspired her fandom, Beasters, and those around her to be great.
- Proud of Her Mexican American Roots: “Selena, Jennifer Lopez, and Jenni Rivera taught me that just because I was born here [in the United States] and speak English but sing in Spanish don’t mean I’m not ‘Latina Enough.’ They taught me that just because I found myself ‘sexy’ does not mean I should be ashamed of my body and sexuality. They taught me that freedom of creative expression as a woman in the Latin industry through fashion, songs, and being our true authentic self is more important than the criticism we have faced for being brave,” Becky said at a Latin Recording Academy event in 2019.
- The Important of Voting: Becky G has refocused her energy from Latin superstar to helping the community amid the coronavirus pandemic and racial injustices happening all across the nation. She’s a triple threat that has dedicated her platform to causes and topics that are close to her heart. She’s also urged people to use their voice and head to the polls in November. During the 2019 Presidential Election, Becky told Entertainment Tonight: “Get out and vote! Get out and vote! I know that it’s a very scary time but one of the biggest things that we can do right now is to exercise that right that we do have to go and vote.”
- Crossover Musical Artist: Becky has worked in various music genres from country, Latin, Reggaetón, Pop, and regional Mexican music to name a few. She’s collaborated with Joss Favela, Snoop Dogg, Anitta, Ozuna, Pitbull, Banda MS, Daddy Yankee, Maluma, Kane Brown, Akon, Natti Natasha, ZAYN, Bad Bunny and CNCO, among others.
- Beauty-Fashion Line: In 2013, Becky G became the face of cosmetic brand CoverGirl. In 2019, Becky and Colourpop teamed up to create a new collection that was influenced by Becky’s Mexican roots. Most recently, she became the newest brand ambassador for PrettyLittleThing and launched the PLT x Becky G capsule collection.
- Equality Rights: Becky formed part of Nat Geo’s docuseries Activate: The Global Citizen Movement to talk about being homeless and the importance of gender equality to ending extreme poverty. For her episode, the singer traveled to Mexico to mobilize people to support women-owned businesses and break the cycle of poverty.
- Supporting Women: Becky G is a passionate champion of women empowerment. She’s constantly seen rooting for other women, collaborating with them, and celebrating each other’s wins, big or small. Previously, Becky G has worked with Natti Natasha for “Sin Pijama,” Chiquis Rivera for “Jolene,” and Anitta with “Banana.”
- Advocate for Mental Health: In the midst of her busy schedule, Becky is always making sure to keep her mental health a priority. The singer is constantly on social media sharing how she keeps her mental health in check by working out or talking to her peers about the importance of it. “Mental health is something that’s very important to me and something I’ve personally struggled with. I know many of us to have,” she mentioned during one of her “En La Sala” podcast episodes.
Mental health clip where Becky G talks with Adriana Alejandre, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist from @latinxtherapist, and with @jbalvin, one of the biggest Reggaeton artists right now as he shares his journey with mental health.
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Safe to say Becky G is riding the new wave of women in reggaeton as a proud Mexican American. Whether she’s giving back to her community and creating new music one thing is for sure, you will always find Becky G being true to herself.