Kany García: Honored at 2022 Premios Juventud
Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Kany García was honored last night (July 21) with the special ‘Agente de Cambio’ (Agent of Change) Award at the 2022 Premios Juventud for her work in defense of women, reproductive rights, and the LGBTQ+ community. The Latin Grammy winner, who in 2016 came out on social media by sharing a photo with her now-wife, is famous not only for her hit songs with poignant lyrics but for her arduous activism for minority rights.
Before receiving the award, García was honored by three other talented women in the Latin industry, Cazzu from Argentina, Goyo from Colombia, and Ángela Aguilar from Mexico; who sang a medley of García’s biggest hits including “Agüita e Coco,” “DPM (De Pxta Madre),” “Hoy Ya Me Voy,” and “Para Siempre.” García joined the trio toward the end of the performance in a never-before-seen multicultural collaboration that garnered a standing ovation.
You can check out the presentation in the video below:
Note: unfortunately the video is geo-locked for regions outside of the US.
The award was presented by fellow Puerto Rican singer and rising star Villano Antillano, who took the opportunity to thank García for her passion and for being a voice for the rights of women and people in the LGBTQ community.
During her powerful acceptance speech, García, after joking that writing songs was her forte, but when it came to public speaking she was a disaster, thanked Cazzu, Goyo, and Aguilar for being diverse and brave in their own way, and fiercely defending the musical genres they represent.
“I want to thank my colleagues who are present here tonight, because you three are diverse and brave – each one of you. An immense artist and Afro-descendant activist such as Goyo; a woman who defends Mexican folklore like Angela Aguilar; an unabashedly talented urban artist who doesn’t mince words like Cazzu,” García said as she looked at the singers.
Visibly moved, Kany García then went on to thank the woman who presented her the award, Villano. “I admire her so much for all she represents: diversity, inclusion, visibility, [she] is a woman making history. What an honor that you are part of my LGBTQ community,” said García.
“What I have in front of me has incalculable value,” Garcia continued, pointing to the microphone, “to remind every woman, every girl who is watching me that we don’t deserve to live in fear and we need to stop normalizing what is normalized today. Governments are here to serve us and not to take away our rights or decide on our bodies.”
The singer admitted her privilege of being completely accepted and loved by her family and friends (a situation that not many people experience today), and acknowledged that everything that happens to her is a step forward for all the groups she represents.
“I ask God that I always be consistent in my speech but above all things, I ask to understand that I get and we will get further if every word of that speech is loaded with love and respect,” she finished.
You can watch her full speech in the video below:
Note: unfortunately the video is geo-locked for regions outside of the US.
You can check the complete list of winners of the 2022 Premios Juventud here.
