Becky G is all about empowerment and taking risks.
The 24-year-old singer dropped her new song, “You Belong,” on Friday, which is featured in the upcoming animated movie Spirit Untamed. The track is all about finding where you belong amid the uncertainties that life brings.
“Now more than ever, I really feel like I’m finding my way,” Becky tells ET about her place in the music and entertainment industry. With that self-discovery, the artist is pursuing passion projects that puts her in positions of power and creating opportunities for youths and Latinas.
Being a part of the Spirit Untamed soundtrack is a “full-circle moment” for Becky, who dishes on how the collaboration came to be and how the lyrics inspired her. “You Belong” is just one of the many projects that Becky has up her sleeve.
ET: Tell us about the creation of “You Belong” and how you got involved?
Becky G: Actually, we will be releasing the lyric video and there’s a little bit of behind the scenes of recording the song and how it all came together. I had so much fun because it’s, one, such a fun song and, two, it’s a song I would sing to my younger self or even today. I think after the year that we’ve all lived throughout the pandemic, we have either been inspired to learn and discover more about our own selves or sometimes questioning our place in the world. I’ve flipped and flopped between both of those things and I feel like the song really resonated with me. [My involvement], it’s something that quite some time ago, early on into the pandemic, we had a creative meeting well before the film was even finished to see how I could participate because I was such a big fan of the original Spirit movie. And now for Spirit Untamed, it feels like a full-circle moment.
The lyrics are so powerful. After years in the industry, do you feel like you’ve found where you belong? And if so, how do you feel you got there?
I think I definitely went through some serious growing pains, just like anyone going through their teenage years. And self-discovery is endless. But especially in the industry, as a young Latina who represented two flags, who considered herself the 200 percent, I always felt like I had one foot in one world and one foot in the other. I had to choose which one I had to support or which I had to identify more with, which one was I going to be accepted in more. And as I started really pursuing my artistic identity, it just started to fuse together and I realize that there’s an entire generation of youth out there that really embraces it and wants to learn more about where they come from and what is in their blood, and the history of their last name, but also really owning who they are today. I do feel like I belong and it makes me really happy. Years of therapy, to be able to say that, it helps.
Being on the soundtrack, does it make you want to get back into acting?
Yeah, definitely. I think I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t already working on projects in the film and TV side throughout the pandemic. Yeah, a lot of things also too as an executive producer. I wanted to empower more talent, more youth, specifically more young women. And finding ways to put myself in power positions, not just in front of the camera but also behind the camera. To be able to make room and make more opportunities has been one of the biggest things that I have been dedicating a lot of my time to. It’s been a lot going on, but it’s been really great.
“You Belong” is in English, while the last couple of songs you’ve released have been in Spanish. Your fans really want to know, are you working on new music and will it be in English or Spanish?
It’s funny when they ask these questions because I’m like, y’all know me by now. When I say “soon” it could be two years from now, one day, one week, then it’s out tomorrow [laughs]. English or Spanish, for me it’s just wherever the wind takes me. I think in both languages now, so when I am creating music, when I’m thinking about opportunity, I’m not thinking in the context of what language it’s going to be. I’m thinking about how it makes me feel and how it’s going to resonate with my audience. But these days, to be honest, more Spanish music has felt more empowering to me than ever. I feel like I really found my voice in Spanish music. But this song, “You Belong,” it was one of those where I didn’t even have to think about it. It didn’t cross my mind, “OK, English or Spanish? Is it weird that it’s all English or should we do a Spanglish version?” It just happened.
Going back to your new song and Spirit Untamed. There’s a quote in the movie, “Stay fearless, brave one.” What is one quote that keeps you motivated and feeling strong?
I have a lot of quotes, my mom is a walking quote book. She’s going to laugh when she sees this interview because it’s literally all her Instagram is, is like quotes of the day. But the one that I grew up really living by is, “Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” Another version of that, my boyfriend [Sebastian Lletget] when I asked him what is his favorite quote, because it says a lot about a person, he said, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.” It’s the same thing.
It’s that same sentiment of, we’re bound to mess up sometimes and we’re bound to fail. But part of success is failure. And my advice to the youth is to just get out there and try things. It’s OK if you mess up. It’s OK if you fumble. The more you realize what you don’t want in life, it’s getting you closer to what you do want in life. That, I think, is definitely on the line of being fearless, and part of being fearless is acknowledging that fear is real.
Becky’s new song, “You Belong,” is now available on streaming platforms. Spirit Untamed arrives in theaters on June 4.
