Teyana Taylor gives powerful speech at Billboard Women in Music Awards
Some of the most influential women in music gathered to celebrate each other at the Billboard Women in Music Awards at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles on April 29.
Singer-songwriter Teyana Taylor was honored at the event by legendary singer and actress Dionne Warwick, who presented Taylor with the Visionary Award on Wednesday night.
Taylor, who performed her song "Bed of Roses" with Wale at the event, encountered a small mishap after her performance, when it appeared her prepared speech was not queued up on the teleprompter. The actress, model and dancer later took the stage at the end of the program to deliver the speech she had planned to give earlier in the show, saying, "Never underestimate a woman with a vision."
"As women, we are visionaries by nature," she said. "We don't wait for permission. We create possibility. We take what we've been through, and we turn it into something the world can feel."
She continued, "We turn pain into purpose, silence into sound, dreams into something people can finally see. And that kind of vision, it doesn't change us. It changes everything around us."
The Golden Globe winner went on to thank her mom Nikki Taylor for being "my backbone" and "my safe place."
"It was so dope watching you curse them out back there," she said, referring to what happened backstage following the teleprompter mishap.
The "One Battle After Another" actress continued, "You believed in me before I had anything to show for it, Mommy. Before there were any lights, before there were any changes, before there was proof -- you saw me, Mommy, and sometimes, all a little girl needs is for someone to see her. I love you in a way words will never fully hold."
Taylor, a mother herself, called her daughters Junie and Rue her "reason" and said they are "why I keep pushing."
"You are why I keep becoming," she added. "Everything I do, every sacrifice, every late night, every prayer is rooted in the life I want you to see as possible. I want you to know you don't ever have to ask for space in this world. You belong in it exactly as you are."
Speaking to the audience, she urged other women to not shrink themselves "to fit in rooms that were never built for you in mind."
"Build your own. Take up space. Be loud about your dreams even when your voice shakes. Because yes, being different might make people feel uncomfortable, but it's also the very thing that will make you unforgettable," she said.
Other honorees who performed at Wednesday's event included Kehlani, Laufey, Mariah the Scientist, Tate McRae, Ella Langley, Thalía and Zara Larsson.
"KPop Demon Hunters" singers EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami performed their hit song "Golden" and were collectively honored with the Woman of the Year Award.
BINI, Elizabeth Matthews and The Beaches were also honored.
Prior to Langley taking the stage to perform her hit song "Choosin' Texas," her friend and fellow country star Lainey Wilson honored her with the Powerhouse Award.
Wilson told "Good Morning America" on the carpet that what makes Langley a powerhouse in music today is her "grit."
"She has this fire about her that you kind of have to have in this business, but she's got a little bit of that extra," she said.
Reflecting on all the women in the music industry making an impact, Wilson added, "The girls are really doing it right now in every genre."
Attendees at Wednesday's Women in Music event also included Ciara, Eva Longoria, Cara Delevingne, Ava Max, Bebe Rexha, Kelly Rowland, Victoria Justice and more.
You can watch the entire Billboard Women in Music show on Billboard's YouTube Channel.
