The Latin Recording Academy will be honoring Róndine Alcalá, Mon Laferte, Simone Torres and Ana Villacorta López as this year’s Leading Ladies of Entertainment in a ceremony taking place in Sevilla (Andalucía), Spain, during Latin Grammys week.
Leading Ladies is an initiative created seven years ago to “honor and recognize professional and socially-conscious women within the arts and Latin entertainment fields who have made significant contributions and inspired the next generation of female leaders,” per the press release. The ceremony will take place on Nov. 13, and the Latin Grammys take place three days later, on Nov. 16.
Alcalá is the founder of RondenePR, a music and entertainment public relations firm that has overseen the careers of several Latin Grammy winners and nominees including Juan Luis Guerra, Laura Pausini (who is being honored as this year’s Person of the Year), Los Temerarios and Luis Fonsi.
Laferte is being recognized for her contributions as a singer/songwriter, and multiple Latin Grammy winner and Grammy nominee. She’s preparing to release the follow-up to her 2021 record, “1940 Carmen,” and in recent weeks, has offered the first taste of the project with singles “Te Juro Que Volveré” and “Tenochtitlá.”
Torres will be honored as a Grammy-nominated engineer and vocal producer, with credits alongside a plethora of artists including Cardi B, Camila Cabello, Becky G and Anitta. Recently she’s worked with Becky G on multiple records including her latest single “La Nena.”
López joined the music entertainment industry in 1981 and after a brief stint at RCA, she built her career over at EMI, primarily as director of international development in Spain. Today she occupies the role of Ana Villacorta López senior VP for marketing and promotion at Sony Music Entertainment México. She has accompanied many artists in their careers, including Rocío Durcal, Julio Iglesias, Héroes del Silencio, Thalía, Fito Páez, Tony Bennett, Maná, One Direction, Vicente Fernández, Joaquín Sabina, Joan Manuel Serrat, Reik, Carlos Rivera and Camila.
“This diverse group of outstanding and successful women have made great contributions to Latin music,” said Manuel Abud, CEO of the Latin Recording Academy. “We are proud to celebrate them with this and other initiatives that seek to promote gender parity and honor the important role women play in the entertainment industry.”
Leading Ladies of Entertainment has partnered with She Is The Music — a global nonprofit working to increase the number of women in music — and the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation on a collaborative mentorship program. Past Leading Ladies honorees will be invited to mentor a She Is The Music mentee. The partnership will build on last year’s Leading Ladies Connect TogetHER Mentorship Program. The link to apply and guidelines are available at https://lgcf.smapply.io/.