Biography
Biography
Early life and family roots
Rebbeca Marie Gomez is born on March 2, 1997, in Inglewood, California, the oldest of four children in a Mexican-American family whose four grandparents all come from Jalisco, Mexico. She grows up in Moreno Valley, and when she is nine the family loses its home and moves into a converted garage attached to her grandparents' house. She later describes that hardship as the moment she resolves to help her family however she can, taking an early and practical view of work in entertainment.
Opportunities follow: as a child she appears in the short film El Tux and the Discovery Channel film La estación de la Calle Olvera, records with Kidz Bop, and joins the girl group G.L.A.M. School proves harder, and bullying pushes her into home schooling, but songwriting continues at home. By thirteen she has taught herself guitar and is writing her own material in GarageBand, building a habit of finishing songs that remains central to her method.
From YouTube covers to a record deal
Around 2011 Gomez begins uploading song covers to YouTube, working through rap and pop with the production duo The Jam. One of those recordings, a cover of Otis, draws the attention of producer Dr. Luke, and she signs with his Kemosabe Records in partnership with RCA Records, with Sony Music Latin handling her Spanish-language releases. The YouTube years establish a pattern she still works in: self-directed releases, direct contact with fans and a catalogue built one song at a time.
Her first steps on record include guest spots with Cody Simpson and Cher Lloyd and a Hotel Transylvania promo with will.i.am, before April 2013 brings her debut single, Becky from the Block, a West Coast answer to Jennifer Lopez's Jenny from the Block with Lopez herself in the video. The Play It Again EP follows in July 2013, and a Spanglish version of the title track previews the code-switching that becomes her signature.
English-language pop breakthrough
In 2014 the Pitbull collaboration Can't Get Enough and the pop single Shower define her breakthrough year. Released that April, Shower climbs to No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100, making her a mainstream pop presence while she is still a teenager, and select dates opening for Demi Lovato and Katy Perry on their 2014-15 tours follow.
The English-language campaign continues with Can't Stop Dancin' and with features ranging from Kesha remixes to Thalía's Como Tú No Hay Dos. Screen work opens up in parallel: she guest-stars on Empire and, in late 2015, is cast as Trini Kwan, the Yellow Ranger. A planned full English-language debut album gradually gives way to a different direction as her audience and songwriting lean further into Spanish.
Crossing into the Latin market
Sola, released in June 2016, begins a sustained move into Spanish-language music and reaches the top twenty of Hot Latin Songs. The shift gathers pace with Todo Cambió, the Play-N-Skillz and Frankie J reworking of Selena's Si Una Vez, and features with Yandel and Lil Jon. In October 2017 she co-hosts the Latin American Music Awards and returns to the hosting panel in 2018.
The collaborations define the period. Mayores, with Bad Bunny, reaches No. 3 on Hot Latin Songs, while Sin Pijama, with Natti Natasha, reaches No. 4. Acting runs alongside: she plays the Yellow Ranger in Power Rangers (2017), stars in A.X.L. (2018) and voices a character in the animated film Gnome Alone, all while her Spanish-language catalog keeps growing.
Mala Santa and urban-pop stardom
Mala Santa, her debut studio album, arrives in October 2019 and peaks at No. 3 on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart. Mayores and Sin Pijama sit within the top five of Hot Latin Songs, and the record establishes her as a headline Latin artist rather than a crossover guest, with touring through the turn of the decade widening her base.
Esquemas, the second album, follows in May 2022 and gives her a first No. 1 on any albums chart, leading Top Latin Pop Albums for eight weeks. The single Mamiii, made with Karol G, debuts at No. 1 on Hot Latin Songs — her first chart-topper there — and reaches No. 15 on the Hot 100. Months later, Bailé Con Mi Ex gives her a first Latin Airplay No. 1 as a solo, unaccompanied act, and the 2022 Latin Grammys bring several nominations, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year for Pa Mis Muchachas.
A turn toward música mexicana
Esquinas, released in 2023, is presented as a tribute to her Mexican grandparents and becomes her first regional Mexican album. It enters the Top Regional Mexican Albums chart at No. 3, and its single Por el Contrario, recorded with Ángela Aguilar and Leonardo Aguilar, earns a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Regional Song. The lead single Chanel, with Peso Pluma, also reaches the Billboard Hot 100.
Encuentros, out in October 2024, shows the interest is durable rather than cosmetic. Produced with Adrián Pieragostino, it folds ranchera, mariachi and contemporary corridos together with bolero, cumbia and Colombian vallenato, and its Mercedes, with Oscar Maydon, sets up the campaign. Reviews read the album as an artist in control: Rolling Stone calls it a contemporary música mexicana classic, while the Associated Press frames it as a deliberate, in-depth exploration of folk traditions filtered through modern fusion.
Baraja Bendita and recent work
A documentary titled Rebbeca, centered on her personal life and the making of Esquinas, is released in 2025, and that September TIME names her to the TIME100 Next list, with Selena Gomez writing her tribute. In April 2026 she receives Billboard's Global Impact award at Latin Women in Music in Miami, where she performs a tribute to Selena Quintanilla's Dreaming of You and reflects on leadership, culture and creating space for the next generation.
Baraja Bendita, her fifth studio album, arrives on August 14, 2026, through RCA. Written entirely by her and without featured guests, its seventeen tracks deliberately bridge her stage name and her given name, moving from reggaetón and house to kizomba, R&B, bachata, merengue and reggae. She describes the project as trusting herself enough to stop choosing between different parts of who she is, and live work continues through the 2026 tour listed on her official site.
Screen work and advocacy
Acting has run alongside the music since childhood. After the early short film and television work, Gomez plays Trini in Power Rangers (2017), appears in A.X.L. (2018) and Gnome Alone, guest-stars on Austin & Ally and Empire, and stars in the DC superhero film Blue Beetle (2023). Each role extends the same project as her records: a Mexican-American performer taking up space in mainstream productions while keeping her Spanish-language work in view.
Advocacy forms part of the public record as well. She has served as co-chair of When We All Vote, the Michelle Obama-founded voter-registration nonprofit, and speaks for immigrant rights, DREAMers, gender equality and mental health awareness. Billboard honors those efforts with its Impact award in 2023 and its Global Impact award in 2026, and she has built further platforms, including her production company and the cosmetics brand Treslúce Beauty, around storytelling and community.
Selected moments
Career highlights
-
Debut single 'Becky from the Block'
Her first single under Kemosabe and RCA, a West Coast answer to Jennifer Lopez's hit, arrives with a video featuring a cameo by Lopez; the Play It Again EP follows the same year.
-
'Shower' becomes a top-20 Hot 100 hit
Released in April 2014, the pop single peaks at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and becomes one of her signature hits while she is still a teenager.
-
Mayores and a Power Rangers breakout
The Bad Bunny duet Mayores reaches No. 3 on Hot Latin Songs, while she takes the role of Trini, the Yellow Ranger, in the Power Rangers feature film.
-
Debut album Mala Santa
Her first studio album peaks at No. 3 on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart and spawns the top-five Hot Latin Songs singles Mayores and Sin Pijama.
-
First Hot Latin Songs No. 1 with 'Mamiii'
Made with Karol G, Mamiii debuts at No. 1 on Hot Latin Songs in February 2022, spends ten weeks on top and reaches No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100.
-
Billboard Women in Music Impact Award
Billboard honors her community advocacy and bilingual career with the American Express Impact Award at Women in Music, where she performs Mamiii.
-
Esquinas opens her música mexicana chapter
Her first regional Mexican album enters Billboard's Top Regional Mexican Albums chart at No. 3, led by Por el Contrario with Ángela Aguilar and Leonardo Aguilar.
-
Encuentros deepens the regional Mexican dive
Her fourth album, released in October 2024, blends ranchera, mariachi and corridos with bolero, cumbia and vallenato, and is led by Mercedes with Oscar Maydon.
-
Named to the TIME100 Next list
TIME includes her among its 2025 TIME100 Next honorees, with Selena Gomez writing a tribute praising her artistry and advocacy.
-
Global Impact honor at Latin Women in Music
She receives Billboard's Global Impact award in Miami in April 2026 and performs a tribute to Selena Quintanilla's Dreaming of You at the ceremony.
-
Baraja Bendita, her fifth studio album
Released on August 14, 2026 through RCA, the self-written set spans reggaetón, house, bachata, merengue, R&B and more across seventeen tracks.
Recognition
Awards, honors, and nominations
Becky G's accolades span fan-voted prizes, trade-hall honors and Grammy recognition. She wins Favorite Female Latin Artist at the American Music Awards three times, in 2020, 2021 and 2025, and Billboard presents her with the Impact Award at Women in Music in 2023 and the Global Impact Award at Latin Women in Music in 2026.
The Latin Recording Academy lists her as a nominee in categories including Record of the Year and Song of the Year for Pa Mis Muchachas and Album of the Year for Christina Aguilera's Aguilera at the 2022 Latin Grammys, plus Best Regional Song for Por El Contrario at the 2024 ceremony. Forbes includes her on its 30 Under 30 Music list in 2023, and TIME includes her on TIME100 Next in 2025.
- American Music Awards — Favorite Female Latin Artist
- 3
- Billboard Women in Music and Latin Women in Music honors
- 2
- Latin Grammy nominations listed for 2022 and 2024
- 5
| Year | Award | Category | Work |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | American Music Awards | Favorite Female Latin ArtistWinner | |
| 2021 | American Music Awards | Favorite Female Latin ArtistWinner | |
| 2025 | American Music Awards | Favorite Female Latin ArtistWinner | |
| 2023 | Billboard Women in Music | American Express Impact AwardWinner | |
| 2026 | Billboard Latin Women in Music | Global Impact AwardWinner | |
| 2022 | Latin Grammy Awards | Record of the YearNominee | Pa Mis Muchachas |
| 2022 | Latin Grammy Awards | Song of the YearNominee | Pa Mis Muchachas |
| 2022 | Latin Grammy Awards | Album of the YearNominee | Aguilera |
| 2022 | Latin Grammy Awards | Best Urban/Urban Fusion PerformanceNominee | Pa Mis Muchachas |
| 2024 | Latin Grammy Awards | Best Regional SongNominee | Por El Contrario |