La India chatted with Billboard’s Griselda Flores and Jessica Roiz ahead of Billboard Latin Women in Music 2025.
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MusicTranscript
00:00How are you?
00:02How are you?
00:04Well, I feel happy to celebrate
00:06and bring the honor to Celia Cruz
00:08to my mother, the queen
00:10close to Olga Tañón
00:12and Evie Queen
00:14that, well, Evie
00:16that two years ago
00:18received her special award
00:20last year, and now
00:22Olga, this year
00:24and Celia,
00:26we are very happy
00:28What can you say?
00:30Obviously, there are three women who are going to give
00:32her honor to another great woman
00:34What can you say about this process
00:36of creating this tribute?
00:38I imagine it was a lot of emotions
00:40to be able to be able to sing together
00:44to learn
00:46the arrangement
00:48the lights
00:50the walk
00:52everything, everything, everything
00:54where we were going to go
00:56where we were
00:58and we knew that
01:00we were going to be together
01:02and that was a magic
01:04we felt Celia with us
01:06I felt the joy
01:08of her
01:09I feel here
01:10she never went
01:12if she was here
01:14if she knew
01:16how much people love
01:18she felt so happy
01:20so happy
01:21so happy
01:22and I know
01:23and Pedrito
01:24Padrino Pedro
01:25as always
01:26with her
01:27head
01:28of a gold
01:29yes
01:30you have a really strong connection
01:33obviously Celia was your musical mother
01:35I mean
01:37what an honor
01:38to be able to call Celia your godmother
01:41how would you describe her legacy?
01:44her legacy is impeccable
01:46she worked all her life
01:48you know
01:49she was
01:50she started so young
01:51in Cuba
01:52you know
01:53and she was 16, 17 years old
01:55and she never looked back
01:57from 16
01:58all the way
01:59to 77 years old
02:01okay
02:02she would have kept going
02:03she just turned 100 years old
02:05and I don't think she would have stayed in her house
02:07I think she would have been on that stage
02:09dandole rumba sabrosa azucar a su publico
02:13you know
02:15yes
02:16that's how she was
02:17she was very down to earth
02:18you know
02:19often used to say
02:20that Celia and her
02:21were like the same
02:22in the sense that they were happy
02:24they were humble
02:25these are two women that are
02:27tremendously missed
02:29you know
02:30because they meant so much to us
02:32one day left too fast I think
02:34you know
02:35and Celia who celebrated life all the way to the end
02:38and she's still here
02:39she had an impeccable career
02:42that she was able to take very well her career
02:44what could she learn
02:45she loved the fans
02:46and she was never late
02:48which I would say
02:49she taught me so much
02:50she was like
02:51if it's 11 o'clock
02:53you're gonna be there
02:54at 9 o'clock
02:55even if you have to wait 2 hours
02:56but it's better to be early than late
02:59and I felt that that's the most amazing
03:01you know advice that she could give me
03:03and now I'm teaching a new generation to do the same
03:07you know
03:08so she passed it on to me
03:09and I'm passing it on to all the beautiful ladies
03:12India
03:13I have to ask you
03:14now that you mentioned Selena
03:15este año también cumple 30 años
03:18since her passing
03:19yeah
03:20have you ever had the opportunity to meet her in person
03:24like you know it was amazing
03:25because when she will be in a war show
03:28her father is someone who I admire
03:30my compadre Eddie Rodriguez
03:32who also set up it you know for me and Celia
03:35had to be to make it official in the Catholic Church
03:38he used to talk a lot with El Papa
03:40so when she would come in we would be like
03:42hey hi
03:43and then she had to go get the award you know
03:45or when she was doing stuff with Casey Porter
03:48in Calabasas she'd leave and I'd be walking in
03:52and it was always about love with her
03:54you know there was a light about her
03:56there was something special about this young woman
03:59and I think you know it broke my heart
04:01it broke my heart it broke our hearts
04:03but you know what
04:04her music will always live forever
04:06and to see her beautiful family join forces
04:09and to put out beautiful packages of what she did
04:12you know we will never be able to forget Selena
04:16her voice the way she was
04:18and how she dressed and her sweetness
04:21and she was very humble
04:23you know and that is something
04:25and then we celebrated justice
04:27God is so big you know
04:29she left us too fast
04:31that's what I feel
04:32too fast
04:33you know I miss her
04:34I have my Selena moments
04:37it's like today I'm going to listen to Selena
04:40and I want to just listen to her music all day
04:42that's what she does to her fans
04:44you know we can't stop listening to her voice
04:46and watching the videos
04:48and how amazing she was
04:50how she danced
04:51how she loved her fans
04:53and how she loved what she did
04:55and when we watch those videos
04:56and hear her music
04:57it feels so present
04:58it feels so 2025
05:00she was a fashionista you know
05:02she set the trend
05:03she said the bar is high
05:05you know and everybody
05:07you know like Ana Bárbara talks about it
05:09we all love her
05:10yeah
05:11well we love you
05:12and we celebrated you last year
05:14but we always celebrate you because you're an icon
05:16thank you so much
05:17and thank you so much for being here
05:19we know it's going to be such a special tribute
05:21because you're a part of it as well
05:22so it's going to be amazing
05:24please watch it
05:25it's going to be great
05:27thank you so much
05:28thank you
05:29have so much fun