Born Rebbeca Marie Gomez on March 2, 1997, in Inglewood, California, the singer, songwriter, and actress known as Becky G had her first breakthrough at 14 after uploading videos of her singing cover songs of popular hits on YouTube.
Videos by American Songwriter
After catching the attention of producer Dr. Luke with her cover of Jay-Z and Kanye West’s song, “Otis,” in 2011, Gomez was signed to RCA Records and Kemosabe Records.
Mid-Life Crisis
Years before her big break, Gomez had already transformed into Becky G when she was just 9 years old after her family was forced to live in her grandparents’ garage following some financial hardships.
The experience is one Gomez called her mid-life crisis, and prompted her to follow her dreams and ultimately grow up fast, and become Becky G.
“That’s when I felt like ‘OK, I gotta get my life together,” said Gomez in 2014. “What am I gonna do?’ I pushed that on myself at a younger age than the average kid because at the time my family had lost our home.”
Taking on the moniker of Becky G, the “G” short for Gomez, she started writing her own music at the age of 11 and learned how to play the guitar by 13.
Singles and Debuts
In 2013, Becky G released her debut, “Becky from the Block”—a play on Jennifer Lopez’s 2002 hit “Jenny from the Block”—along with her debut extended play, Play It Again, later that year.
By 2014, her second single, “Can’t Get Enough,” featuring Pitbull, went to No. 1 on the Latin Rhythm Airplay chart and continued to hit the charts with songs “Shower,” “Break a Sweat,” “Can’t Stop Dancin’,” and “Lovin’ So Hard” through 2015.
In between releasing a collection of singles, Becky G had a co-headlining tour with J Balvin in 2015, and also opened for artists, including Katy Perry, Enrique Iglesias, Demi Lovato, and Camila Cabello’s former group Fifth Harmony over the years.
Crossover and Collaborations
Crossing deeper into Latin music in 2016, Becky G released her first Spanish song, “Sola,” followed by “Mayores,” featuring Bad Bunny, in 2017. Her debut studio album Mala Santa was released in 2019, followed by Esquemas in 2022.
Songs You Didn’t Know She Wrote
Less than a year after being discovered by Dr. Luke, G also co-wrote songs for other artists, including Cody Simpson’s “Wish U Were Here,” and “Oath” by Cher Lloyd, and appeared on both tracks.
Screen Time
Becky G also added acting to her resume in 2015, starring in the television musical drama, Empire, as Valentina Galindo and as a Yellow Ranger in the film adaptation of Power Rangers in 2017.
Throughout her still-growing career, Becky G has collaborated with a number of artists, including Christina Aguilera, David Guetta, and Daddy Yankee, and has won two American Music Awards and four Latin American Music Awards.
Photo by Rodrigo Varela/Getty Images for Univision
