BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.) will honor revered singer/songwriter Ana Bárbara with the BMI Icon Award at the 30th Annual BMI Latin Awards on Tuesday, March 21. The globally celebrated queen of grupero is the first Regional Mexican female songwriter to receive this award, recognizing her exceptional talent and outstanding contributions to the Latin music community since the beginning of her career nearly thirty years ago. The private event, held at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA., will be hosted by BMI President & CEO Mike O’Neill and BMI Vice President, Creative, Latin, Jesus Gonzalez.
“As an iconic female Regional Mexican artist, whose body of work continues to be an indomitable inspiration for the creative community, we’re thrilled to name Ana Bárbara a BMI Icon,” said Jesus Gonzalez, BMI Vice President, Creative, Latin. "Dubbed as La Reina Grupera, she has forged a career that spans decades. Her artistic achievements have paved the way for the next generation of female songwriters in the genre and earned the respect of the industry at large as one of the most groundbreaking songwriters of all time. For that, we salute Ana as a true icon and look forward to celebrating all our top music creators behind some of today’s most-performed Latin songs.”
Throughout the evening, BMI will recognize the songwriters and publishers of the past year’s most-performed Latin songs in the United States. The BMI Regional Mexican Song, Songwriter, BMI Contemporary Latin Song, Songwriter and BMI Contemporary Latin and Regional Mexican Publisher of the Year will also be named during the ceremony.
Bárbara began her career in the early 90s with her self-titled debut in 1994, which garnered critical acclaim and earned the songstress her first gold record. Throughout her career, the Rioverde, San Luis Potosí native excelled in genres ranging from grupero to mariachi and pop, to Sinaloa-style banda and romantic ballads. She’s gone on to release more than 10 studio albums and has sold over six million records to date, crafting countless singles, including “Lo Busqué,” “Fruta Prohibida” and “Quise Olvidar,” among many others. Bárbara has amassed 33 hits which have landed in top spots across several Billboard charts including Hot Latin Tracks, Regional Mexican Airplay, Latin Pop Airplay and Latin Tropical Airplay. Most recently, her single “Reza y Reza” topped radio charts in Mexico, and “El Consejo” with Paquita la del Barrio and “Mi Corazón” with legendary group Bronco have racked up over 25 and 50 million YouTube views, respectively. Throughout her career, Bárbara has received countless accolades and honors including a Latin GRAMMY for Best Grupero Album for Loca de Amar, four Premio Lo Nuestro awards, seven Premios Furia Musical awards and one GRAMMY nomination for Best Mexican/Mexican-American album for No Es Brujería.
The BMI Icon Award is presented to songwriters or composers who have distinctly and profoundly influenced the music industry, leaving an indelible and unique influence on generations of music makers. As the 2023 honoree, Bárbara joins an elite group of music creators who have received BMI’s highest honor including Carlos Santana, Gloria Estefan, Juan Luis Guerra, Los Tigres Del Norte and Los Lobos, among others.
