Best Moments at 2024 Billboard Women in Music Awards

From one Woman of the Year to another! In a night of epic moments from epic superstars, two women who have received the highest honor at the Billboard Women in Music Awards shone especially bright.

First up was a surprise appearance from Katy Perry, who was honored as our Woman of the Year at the 2012 ceremony and was on hand at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, Calif., on Wednesday night (March 6) to present the Executive of the Year Award to her longtime label boss Michelle Jubelirer. “She has been a beacon for artists, nurturing their talents and supporting their personal growth,” Perry said of the former Capitol Music Group CEO/chair. “She heard me, she saw me, she created space for me, even supported me through my journey of motherhood.”

And then the final performer and honoree of the night was our 2024 Woman of the Year, Karol G, who cemented her new title with a 13-woman performance that included dancers, brass players, percussionists, singers and more in all white reimagining her reggaeton hit “Amargura” as a salsa jam session.

In her acceptance speech to end the night, Karol G said (translated from Spanish): “I’m really just standing here to say that just like I did, all of you can do it too. And never, never give someone else the authority to decide on your own decisions, to say whether something you are doing is bad or good, has value or has no value. No one can put value on you as a person, not as a woman, not as a professional. It is you yourself who works for it, sweats for it, gets it and earns it.”

But Katy and Karol were just the tip of the iceberg: Below, find the best moments from the 2024 Billboard Women in Music Awards.