Filipina Americans shine at Billboard's Women in Music awards

Three Filipina American entertainers were among the awardees of Billboard's Women in Music awards held Sunday in Inglewood, Calif.

The highlight award, Woman of the Year, went to 18-year old Olivia Rodrigo, a Filipina American singer/songwriter who burst into the pop music charts with several No. 1 hits and "Sour," her debut No. 1.

The star of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, started the year with a breakout hit, "drivers license," that stayed atop Billboard's charts for eight straight weeks, a record for a debut song.

As she accepted her award Sunday (Feb. 28), the Filipina Californian alluded to the difficulties of being a young woman in the music industry and gave credit to the women artists who paved the way for her. She ended with some words of inspiration for young girls.

“To all the young girls out there who are writing songs every day in their journals, on their bedroom floors — I am constantly moved by your vulnerability and your creativity and bravery,” said Olivia. “And I promise everyone here today is working to make this world and this industry a better place for you.”

Ciara took center stage as host of the celebration, which shined the spotlight on powerhouse women in the music industry. She set the tone of the event with a moment of silence to honor the people of Ukraine as they fight for their nation and democracy against Russia.

Women in Music is an organization with a mission to advance the awareness, equality, diversity, heritage, opportunities, and cultural aspects of women in the musical arts through education, support, empowerment, and recognition.

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H.E.R. and her mother after receiving the Impact Award.

Impact Award honoree H.E.R. aka Gabriella Wilson, gave a shoutout to her Filipino mother, Agnes Sarmiento Wilson, during her acceptance speech: “I want to thank my mom for teaching me to stay humble, be grounded, and be hardworking,” said the R&B singer/songwriter.

H.E.R. spoke about balancing being a commercial star and an activist in an interview with Billboard last month:

“It never occurred to me to be an activist until I got older and started to realize how much hatred there is in the world,” she said. 

“Obviously, in the beginning, it was a lot more about the music," said the 23-year old singer from Vallejo, Calif. "Organically, however, people are starting to hear and see me more, to experience who I am and not just the music. So with that comes my views on the world: how I felt in 2020 when everything was going on and is still going on. It’s a bigger fight, [so] it’s my responsibility to use what has an impact — my voice — to speak out on some of these things, like the relationship between Black Americans and Asian Americans. Not because someone told me to, but because it’s what I feel.”

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Rapper Saweetie with her mother backstage at the Women in Music awards.

As she accepted her Game Changer award, Saweetie talked about some of the turbulence her career had gone through and thanked her family and team for sticking with her. But ultimately, she proclaimed that she still preferred the “uncomfortable position” of stardom — because she “would rather be changing the weather than report it.”

Mothers of the artists seemed to be a theme for the evening.

Saweetie’s mother, Trinidad Valentin, called her daughter a “force to be reckoned with,” as she presented the award to her daughter with an emotional tribute about how “proud” she is of her daughter.

Valientin told the story that as a child, Saweetie had found a great interest in poetry after finding an old poem her mother had written. “Her poetry had turned into rhyming, and rhyming into rapping,” she explained.

She recalled a conversation the two had when Saweetie graduated, when she had asked what her daughter's Plan B was if rapping didn’t work out. She remembered Saweetie telling her, “Mom, there is no plan B.”

Valentin then went on to cheer her daughter on shouting, “Here’s to not having a Plan B, baby girl!”

Other Women in Music awardees during included: Summer Walker (Chartbreaker Award), Doja Cat (Powerhouse Award), Gabby Barrett (Rising Star Award) Phoebe Bridgers (Trailblazer Award), Karol G (Rule Breaker Award) and legendary artist, Bonnie Raitt (Icon Award).

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AAPI perspective, follow me on Twitter @DioknoEd.