La India Talks On Celia Cruz Being Her Godmother, Remembering Selena & More| Billboard Latin Women in Music 2025

Billboard

La India chatted with Billboard’s Griselda Flores and Jessica Roiz ahead of Billboard Latin Women in Music 2025.

Transcript

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

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