Singers EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami have been named Billboard’s Women of the Year 2026.

The trio, known for performing as the fictional girl group HUNTR/X in the film “KPop Demon Hunters”, will receive the honour at the Billboard Women in Music ceremony on April 29 at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles.

The award will be presented alongside other honourees for 2026, including Teyana Taylor, Tate McRae, Ella Langley, Kehlani, Laufey, Mariah the Scientist, Thalia and Zara Larsson.

The ceremony will be hosted by Keke Palmer, who will also perform during the event. The show will be streamed live on Billboard’s official website and its YouTube channel.

Announcing the recognition, Leila Cobo, co-chief content officer of Billboard, said the artistes had achieved remarkable success over the past year and reshaped perceptions of women’s influence in the global music industry.

Released in 2025, “KPop Demon Hunters” quickly became a global pop culture sensation. The film, directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, has accumulated more than 500 million views worldwide on Netflix since its premiere in July last year.

The film’s soundtrack has also achieved major commercial success. The song “Golden” surpassed one billion views on YouTube, while the soundtrack album became the best-selling soundtrack of 2025. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 Soundtrack chart and received double-platinum certification.

“KPop Demon Hunters” follows K-pop stars Rumi, Mira and Zoey, who secretly lead double lives as demon hunters protecting their fans from supernatural threats while battling a rival boy band revealed to be demons in disguise.

The Women of the Year title has previously been awarded to artistes such as Doechii, Karol G, SZA, Olivia Rodrigo, Cardi B, Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, Madonna, Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift.