Leila Cobo, Billboard‘s chief content officer, Latin/Español, will be honored on Thursday (June 20) with the Ícono Máximo Award at the Ícono & Ícono Influencer Awards in Medellín, Colombia.
Cobo will receive the award in recognition of “her outstanding contribution to the Latin music industry, achievements and impeccable career,” according to a press release. She will also participate in the music conference to be held the day before the awards.
“As a Colombian, receiving an award in Colombia, from the Colombian music industry, is emotional but also carries a lot of professional weight,” Cobo said in a statement. “I’m proud to have dedicated my career to shining a light on Latin music, and the fact that Premios Ícono recognizes this is very exciting and fills me with joy. I truly feel the best is yet to come!”
Born in Cali, Colombia, Cobo holds degrees in journalism from the Universidad Javeriana de Bogotá and in piano performance from the Manhattan School of Music. She also has a master’s degree in communication from the Annenberg School at the University of Southern California.
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With an extensive career in media in the United States and beyond, she is considered an expert on Latin music around the world. Author of novels, biographies and music books such as Decoding “Despacito”: An Oral History of Latin Music, her work at Billboard has been instrumental in strengthening the presence and representation of Latin music on all platforms.
She is also a renowned public speaker and, as its chief content officer, she programs Billboard‘s Latin Music Conference, an annual event in Miami of great relevance to the industry. Her long list of interviewees includes superstars such as Shakira, Bad Bunny, Daddy Yankee, Karol G, Pitbull, Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony, Juanes, Maná and Jenni Rivera, among many others.