The Billboard Women in Music 2026 event took place on April 29 at the Hollywood Palladium, honoring several female artists. Performers included Ella Langley, Keke Palmer, and EJAE, REI AMI, and AUDREY NUNA. EJAE, REI AMI, and AUDREY NUNA accepted the Women of the Year award after performing 'Golden.'
Billboard Women in Music 2026 honored EJAE, REI AMI, AUDREY NUNA, Kehlani, Teyana Taylor, Ella Langley, Thalia, Zara Larsson, Laufey, and Tate McRae at the Hollywood Palladium on Wednesday night, April 29. The event featured live performances and award presentations, hosted by Keke Palmer, who performed her song “Text Message Unsent.” Ella Langley delivered her Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Choosin’ Texas.” Other performers included Teyana Taylor, Tate McRae, Kehlani, and Laufey. EJAE, REI AMI, and AUDREY NUNA—the singing voices of HUNTR/X from the Netflix film KPop Demon Hunters—performed an intimate all-black rendition of “Golden” before accepting the Women of the Year award from Ella Mai. Teyana Taylor accepted the Visionary Award, though a teleprompter issue initially disrupted her speech; she later returned to deliver it graciously. During their acceptance, EJAE told the crowd, “Music doesn’t see race or gender, it only asks for the truth and when I brought my full truth into it – my voice, my Korean-ness, my women-ness — everything began to shift. I realized that as a woman, our power has never been in fitting in.” REI AMI added, “There’s nothing more intimidating than a confident woman who knows what she wants. Our ability to persevere and show up is an absolute superpower, so thank you to all the women in this room for using your superpowers to inspire, lead and protect.” AUDREY NUNA concluded, “To receive this honor and to represent a song and a film that affirms this notion that the world needs women to show up as their fullest, most whole selves.” The trio has performed “Golden” at recent events including the Oscars, where the song from KPop Demon Hunters won Best Original Song, the 2026 Grammys, Baftas, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. They also won two Golden Globes: Best Original Song — Motion Picture and Best Motion Picture, Animated.
