Empowering Latinas in the Music Industry: A Q&A with Leila Cobo of Billboard
Story written by Marivette
“I think the stories behind the people are really fascinating and interesting, sometimes even more than the music itself. Of course, the music is always fascinating, and the movements behind it, but it all boils down to the stories.”
Leila Cobo is a powerhouse in the music industry. As the Chief Content Officer for Latin Music and Español at Billboard, Leila Cobo has established herself as a prominent voice in the coverage and development of Latin music. Her extensive experience as a journalist, writer, novelist, pianist, and television show host has made her an expert in the field. She is now spearheading Billboard's newest event: the Latin Women in Music ceremony.
This inaugural event, airing on May 7 on Peacock TV, celebrates Latin women artists, executives, and creatives working towards positive change, inclusion, and gender parity in the music industry. Co-hosted by reggaeton queen Ivy Queen, the event will honor notable figures like Thalia, Ana Gabriel, Emilia, Evaluna, Maria Becerra, and Goyo. One of the highlights of this year's event is the Women of the Year honoree, who is none other than the legendary Shakira.
In anticipation of this landmark event, we had the privilege of speaking with Leila Cobo about the importance of recognizing Latinos in music and the impact of the Latin Women in Music gala.
M: Marivette for The Mujerista
L: Leila Cobo
M: As the Chief Content Officer for Latin Music and Español at Billboard, what inspired you to pursue a career in music journalism, and what keeps you motivated to continue covering Latin music?
L: Oh my gosh, that's a big question.
Well, I'm originally, a musician. I come from a very musical family. My brother is a classical guitarist. I'm married to a pianist, and since I was very little, we all did music in the house. I started playing piano as, as a child, and I studied piano all my life. And then, I went to the Manhattan School of Music. I have a degree in piano performance and at some point in my life, I figured that this was not what I was gonna end up doing professionally. I didn't think I was good enough to be where I wanted to be. And my other big passion was journalism.
And so I decided to try and infuse the two. I got a master's degree at Annenberg in USC, but I really didn't know how to do it. I have to say, Mari, it's not like I said I'm going to go to Billboard. No, it, was a kind of trial and error, and finding my way. I gradually ended up in print journalism, which I love.
By kind of a stroke of luck, I was in Miami, I was working at the Miami Herald as their pop music critic, and I started covering Billboard. I started covering the Latin Music Conference and the Latin Music Awards. When this job opened, I applied for it because I loved the brand, and I stayed.
What keeps me motivated through the years? I think it's the storytelling. I think the stories behind the people are really fascinating and interesting, sometimes even more than the music itself. Of course, the music is always fascinating, and the movements behind it, but it all boils down to the stories.
I think the stories are great, and I love being able to talk about something that comes from so many different cultures. People tend to limit what Latin music is, and when you look into every piece of the world that this music comes from, it's so rich and exciting, and there's always a great story behind it.
M: How do you think Latin music has evolved over the years, and what role do you see it playing in the global music industry?
L: I think the consumption of the music has changed, perhaps more than the music itself. It used to be that the music was very limited.
It got to Latin American ears. It got to the ears of people that were really looking for it here because it was hard to find unless you were Latin and you were looking for these stations, looking for this music and record source. Now it's everywhere and people love it. So I think, the big challenge and the big direction, as I see it, is to make music that is really up to the standards of the global listener. And I think that what's happening, for example, now with regional Mexican music, where it's blending all these different influences. is fascinating because that music was very regional by definition. And by experimenting and by doing these songs that are like, they're fun, you know, they're like crunchy, they're meaty, and people react to them.
So I think that as long as the music continues to be of high quality, which means that not all the music is of high quality, but I think that as long as there's enough of that, the genre or the music in Spanish will continue to grow around the world.
Billboard’s Women in Music 2023 / Photo by Brandon Todd for Billboard
M: Billboard recently announced the inaugural Latin Women in Music event, which celebrates women who have made a concrete impact on Latin music through their artistic achievements. What was the inspiration behind this event? What impact do you hope it will have on the music industry?
L: I think it's a huge event! I think it's so important because while there are many celebrations of women on different platforms, which I love and I celebrate and we support in Billboard, this is the first time that we're going to honor artists and executives and do a print product around it, do all these stories around it, and also air it on television and that is a big commitment. It's a big endeavor, and it just shows how serious we are about this music and music in Spanish. It's not that we're trying to put women in a box or anything like that, but the depth and breadth of music in Spanish made by women is so big, and we only hear a fraction of it.
So what this event aims to do is shine a light on all this great music that's coming from many different places and that we may not know here in the States. You know, when you have an artist like Goyo, who's a big star in Colombia, she's Afro-Colombian. She's speaking out about a whole bunch of issues, and she's innovating musically, but maybe she's not as big as Karol G, her fellow Colombian, or Shakira, but her music is just as important.
It's very different. So we're trying to show people different kinds of music made by different women in different genres. And I think it's so exciting. I can't wait. This is the first one, but as I tell people, there will be a second and a third, and I hope this will stay.
M: What do you think Shakira's recognition as the Latin Woman of the Year represents for Latina women in music and the industry?
L: If we had had this conversation a year ago and you would've asked me, who is the woman of the year? I wouldn't have thought that we would've sought out Shakira. But she has had such a tremendous year just in terms of musical output and hits. She has these two songs that have broken all these records, but aside from that, as a woman, as someone who really was a pioneer because she is kind of the original rocker that became a global superstar and inspired so many people after her, and for her, to 20 years later, be able to continue doing this and continue doing it with integrity, writing hits, staying true to herself and also giving back…so it was like everything came together. It was very natural. She really is an artist that has been able to stay true to herself, stay true to her message, to her music, not compromise her integrity in any way, and still have success through the decades.
It's incredibly hard to do that. So we are very fortunate that she's accepting this award, and we are thrilled to honor her.
M: You have been an advocate for gender parity and inclusion in the music industry. How do you think the industry can continue to improve in these areas, and what steps can be taken to ensure more representation for women and Latinos in music?
L: One thing that I've always said from my beginnings because I lived it, is that you should never exclude people because they're Latin, which is something that used to happen. I don't see it as much anymore, even though we're still getting there in some areas.
But the same applies across the board. You can't exclude someone because of who they are. It doesn't mean you have to include them because of who they are, conversely, but you include people when they need to be included. And I think keeping our ears open and our eyes open and our minds open is crucial, especially with music, which is such a, you know, it's, it's a medium that's just open to everybody to participate in. It's a medium of inclusion by definition. So, really, it behooves us to open our eyes to everything that's being done and to include it in the conversation. There are so many gems out there that are not part of the conversation, and they at least have to be part of the conversation.
And it is our duty as a platform, as a media brand, as music journalists, and as journalists overall to include what's happening in the Latin world as long as it deserves inclusion, but never exclude. I think there have been great strides in the last two years, three years. I think it was a good byproduct of the pandemic. There's been a huge shift and there's been the recognition that, no, voices aren't missing because they aren't good enough. Voices are missing because they're not even being taken into consideration. And I think that's a really important distinction to make.
M: What advice do you have for young women who want to pursue a career in music journalism or the music industry in general?
L: I'm very kind of traditional in my core advice, which is to work hard and do good work because I think that at the end of the day, you need that good work as your platform, that's what backs you up.
You really have to work hard and be as excellent as you can to back up your work. And then I think you really have to not be afraid to pursue what you believe in and to actively ask for it if it's not there. Then make the case to build it or build it yourself. And I know that's easier said than done, but of everything you do, I think if you try ten things, one works.
You have to be very persistent, you really do. But I think the core of it all is to have a really strong work ethic and good work to back it up.
M: What can we expect from Billboard's coverage of Latin music in the coming months, and what new initiatives are you working on to continue elevating the voices of Latinx artists and creatives?
L: We are so excited about what's coming up! We have a cover coming, precisely about regional Mexican music, which we're very excited about and which we've been covering for years, right? Since I started at Billboard – since before. But to be able to put these artists on the cover and cover them in such a big way…
Upcoming, we have our Billboard Español dot com brand, which is our website entirely in Spanish with original content. This month we reached our 1 million unique users, so we are very happy about that. We expect that to continue growing. We're having a big launch event in Spain at the end of the summer.
And then, the first week of October, we have our Latin Music Week and our Billboard Latin Music Awards. This is our big event. It's a week-long event. We have great panels. We already have a fantastic lineup of artists that I still can't tell you, but you will love it!