By the time she was in her early 20s, Thalia was already a global celebrity. As the lead star of the so-called “María Trilogy” of telenovelas in the ’90s — which aired in more than 180 countries to an audience of nearly 2 billion — she found fans wherever she went, no matter how far-flung the locale. But for Thalia, who started her career as a child and came to fame in the ’80s both as an actor and as a member of the influential Mexican pop group Timbiriche, her early-’90s breakout was a period of significant and challenging adjustment.

“It’s very intense to think [about] because I was surviving back then,” the now 54-year-old recalls, almost in tears. “I never thought back then that I was an example for a little girl looking up at me while I was struggling. I was going through pain.

I was going through tears. I was doubting myself. I did not believe in myself. I was just a teenager.

I started very, very young, and I never expected to be an example in my worst moments for someone.” Watch Billboard’s Women in Music 2026 live on YouTube.com/Billboard and Billboard.com on April 29, beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT.

For more coverage on Women in Music, click here. Related ‘We Are Changed Women’: The Voices of HUNTR/X On Making History With ‘Golden’ And The Year That Launched Them To Stardom Zara Larsson on the Gamechanging Year That Made Her ‘A Girl Worth Talking About In Pop Culture’ ‘More Is More’: Teyana Taylor On Her Blockbuster Year On (And Off) Screen But today, the artist born Ariadna Thalia Sodi Miranda is a powerful, resilient and transformed woman. Since 1990, when she launched her solo music career with progressive pop-rock melodies and a flirtatious persona, she’s placed 41 entries on Billboard’s Latin Pop Airplay chart, the third-most for a woman in the list’s history, behind only Shakira (56) and Ednita Nazario (44).

She’s been a fixture on other Latin charts — 29 entries on Latin Airplay, 26 on Hot Latin Songs, 16 on Top Latin Albums — and has notched seven titles on the all-genre Billboard 200. And beyond her enduring charts presence, the Queen of Latin Pop and Queen of Telenovelas (as she’s known) has bridged generations, supporting and collaborating with emerging Latin acts such as Maluma, Prince Royce, Natti Natasha and Lali early in their careers. “It’s kind of like a mission for me,” she explains, recalling how veterans such as Juan Gabriel and Emilio Estefan lent their support when she was a new artist.

“It’s just something that we have to do in this industry. We have to look [after] each other; we have to protect each other. It’s a big family.” Thalia photographed on March 6, 2026 at Shooting Stardust Studios in Miami.

Mary Beth Koeth “I was just starting out,” Prince Royce says of working with Thalia on the 2013 track “Te Perdiste Mi Amor,” “so having someone as iconic as her believe in the music and want to work with me was definitely an honor.” The collaboration reached No. 4 on Hot Latin Songs and topped Latin Airplay. “Every time I see her, she’s full of energy and always has a big smile on her face,” he adds. “She’s passionate about what she does.” Years later, Natti collaborated with Thalia for the cheeky 2018 reggaetón track “No Me Acuerdo,” which peaked at No. 14 on Hot Latin Songs.

“She has managed to reinvent herself over the years without losing her essence — something that is incredibly difficult to achieve,” the Dominican singer says. “She boasts an impressive career and has connected with various generations, always representing Latin culture with great strength and elegance. Furthermore, her energy, discipline and love for music have kept her relevant for decades.

That is a feat that very few artists manage to accomplish.” At her Women in Music shoot — where she arrives in slouchy jeans and a brown sweater, before changing into a strapless red gown, her signature mane of loose waves draped over her shoulders — she radiates excitement and allure. She’s receiving the Icon honor, and in just a few days, she’ll release Todo Suena Mejor En Cumbia, a new all-cumbia album that includes her Los Ángeles Azules collaboration “Yo Me Lo Busqué,” which hit No. 1 on the Regional Mexican Airplay chart in May 2025 — and a cumbia cover of ABBA’s “Dancing Queen.” “I’m very relaxed in my life right now and feel happy in my own skin.

I feel that it’s a moment of celebration, and cumbia is exactly that,” she says. “It’s a party, family, memories, roots, neighborhood, and it’s just a project that’s so dear to my heart. It’s part of me growing up in Mexico.

Cumbia is a big part of our DNA.” Mary Beth Koeth Mary Beth Koeth The singer and actor — who’s also an entrepreneur, has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and appears as one of the female leaders highlighted in Amazon Prime’s docuseries The CEO Club — has no plans of slowing down. When asked what defines an icon, her answer is simple: “I conquer, right?” Then she elaborates. “I don’t take myself too seriously anymore,” she explains.