Billboard Latin Music Week kicked off on Monday, Sept. 20, and the opening day in Miami Beach brought to the table such topics as creative freedom, freedom in sexual orientation and freedom to choose motherhood without it hindering their music careers.

Billboard Latin Music Week runs from Sept. 20-25 at the Faena Fourm in Florida, and the event, in addition to being filled with lots of music, feature lectures and panel disscussions on the current state of the music industry and Latin musicians.   

On the first day, Natti Natasha was one of the main figures on the panels. The Dominican singer took advantage of the space to talk about her recent maternity and how this has influenced her and her career. For her, the birth of her daughter has increased her desire to continue with her career, but she accepts that it is a dilemma that many women have to face.

"Women in this industry, and in general, are put up barriers and when you get pregnant they push you aside". 

On the second day, “Coming Out Latin” talked about the sexual orientation of Latin artists and the prejudices that still remain in some traditional genres. However, in the talk it was highlighted that above all, the talent and the proposal of the musicians always prevails.

"Creativity has no gender or labels," said composer Erika Vidrio, who mentioned that in her particular case, although the songs are written for women, the compositions produce a "positive connection as humans."

While these talks generate necessary spaces for debate in the industry, it is true that there is still a long way to go to close these gaps in the music market, whether due to gender or sexual orientation, in practical terms. 

That we can see more diverse representatives taking the stage, being nominated and winning awards is a necessity for the artists of tomorrow to put aside the fear of being judged and be able to create with full freedom. 

The gala will take place on Sept. 23 and rehearsals for the artists who will perform began Monday with Dominican Natti Natasha, Spain's Rosalía and Mexico's Joss Favela. The event will be broadcast live on Telemundo.