Why Selena Gomez Is the Woman of the Year, Again.
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Selena Gomez will be honored as the 2025 Woman of the Year at the Billboard Latin Women in Music event. The award goes to a woman who shows strong leadership, big achievements, and a positive cultural impact in music and beyond. The event will air on Telemundo on April 24, 2025 and takes place in Miami. Other past winners include Shakira and Karol G.
Selena’s journey started in a tough neighborhood in Texas. Her mom, Mandy Teefey, was only 16 when she had her and raised her alone after a divorce. Selena found her love for acting by watching her mom rehearse plays. When she was just 10, Selena started acting on Barney and Friends. She became really famous five years later on the Disney show Wizards of Waverly Place, where she made around $3 million.
Later, she started singing and had major hits with her band and solo music. Her 2013 album Stars Dance was a big success. So far, she’s had three albums, 44 singles (half of them went gold or platinum), and two Grammy nominations.
But what made Selena a billionaire wasn’t music or acting—it was her makeup brand, Rare Beauty. She started the brand in 2020, right during the pandemic. Competing with big names like Rihanna and Kim Kardashian, Selena focused on creating affordable, quality makeup. One of her most famous products is her liquid blush. In 2023 alone, her brand made $350 million, with $70 million just from blush.
Her huge Instagram following of over 424 million followers helped her promote her brand. She also landed big deals with Puma and Coach, earning tens of millions of dollars.
Selena is also focused on mental health. She’s been open about her own struggles with depression and bipolar disorder. She co-founded Wondermind, a mental health company worth $100 million, and gives 1% of Rare Beauty’s sales to support mental health services worldwide.
Selena’s Latin music is also making waves. Her first Spanish-language project with Benny Blanco, Revelación, debuted at No. 1 and got her a Grammy nomination. Her latest hit, Ojos Tristes, is a remake of an ’80s classic.
Selena joins other Latin Women in Music honorees like Anitta, Belinda, Chiquis, Olga Tañón, and Celia Cruz.
