The 74-year-old Mexican received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the awards show.
Paquita la del Barrio was celebrated at the 2021 Billboard Latin Music Awards.
The 74-year-old Mexican icon, whose real name is Francisca Viveros Barradas, was honored with the Billboard Lifetime Achievement Award during Thursday's awards show in Miami. She became the first woman to receive the honor.
Celebrating her musical career that spans 50 years, a montage of her life and career aired before she took the stage. Before she began her speech, she joked that she was too short for the mic. Bad Bunny then took the stage and helped lower it for her.
"Eres un inútil," she cracked, using her famous line. She then thanked her fans and Billboard for the award, before getting emotional. "I could say many things. I think it is better to wait and give you the best in life, which is our love. Thank you."
Considered "La Reina del Pueblo" (The Queen of the Pueblo), Paquita also entertained the crowd with her female-empowerment anthem "Rata de Dos Patas." The legend was then accompanied by Ana Bárbara and performed "El Consejo" together.
Paquita, a singer of ranchera and bolero music, was honored for her "enduring and exceptional career, encompassing artistic and personal contributions that have had a major impact on Latin music worldwide." She is known for her songs that are "characterized by denouncing the macho culture and attitude."
Paquita released her first album, El Barrio de los Faroles, in 1984, and has recorded 33 albums with sales of over 30 million copies. She is currently working on a new record to celebrate her 50th anniversary.
A day before taking the stage, Paquita shared photos from her rehearsals, expressing how emotional the performance was going to be.
For more of ET's Billboard Latin Music Awards coverage, see below.
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