Billboard Women In Music 2026: See the Backstage Portraits
Tate McRae, Keke Palmer, the HUNTR/X singers and more struck a pose backstage.
Black News 
Billboard Women in Music 2026 took over the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles on Wednesday night (April 29) to honor the music industry’s most accomplished and influential women — and everyone came dressed to the nines for their backstage portraits!
Keke Palmer served as the night’s host and master of ceremonies, effortlessly leading the star-studded night while rocking a red pixie cut and a bejeweled off-the-shoulder minidress. Palmer, who released her Just Keke visual album last summer, also mounted the night’s first performance with “Text Message Unsent,” a song from her upcoming, Boots Riley-directed film I Love Boosters.
EJAE, AUDREY NUNA and REI AMI — the singing voices of HUNTR/X from Kpop Demon Hunters — capped off an iconic awards season run with this year’s Women of the Year honor. Donning matching jet-black fits, the trio wasn’t the only group to coordinate clothes. BINI, an eight-piece Filipino girl group, accepted the Global Force Award in complementary earth tones and midriff-baring pieces. This year’s other Global Force honoree, Canadian rock outfit The Beaches, also graced the backstage portrait studio.
The R&B girls kept things ethereal with Rising Star honoree Mariah The Scientist flaunting her bangs, while Kehlani — who dropped her self-titled fifth studio album on April 24 — opted for a fit loosely inspired by menswear. On the other hand, most of the pop girlies, including Hitmaker honoree Tate McRae and Innovator honoree Laufey, opted for white, lace-accented gowns for their backstage portraits. Zara Larsson posed in her “Midnight Sun” stage costume.
Finally, country queen and Powerhouse honoree Ella Langley rocked a gold-accented floor-length gown, while Icon Award recipient Thalía was a vision in red.
Check out all of the Billboard Women in Music 2026 backstage portraits in the gallery below.
