Ivy Queen Made History at Carnegie Hall — And She’s Not Done Yet

When Ivy Queen took the stage at Carnegie Hall in November, she knew she was about to make history as the first reggaeton artist to ever play the storied venue — but the gravity of the moment didn’t fully hit her until a few songs in. She’d been in the middle of performing some of her biggest hits — classics like “Quiero Bailar” and “Te He Querido, Te He Llorado” — when she looked out in the audience and saw a sea of women screaming along to every word. “I was looking at their faces — some were crying, others were hitting their chest when they’d hear certain parts of the song,” she recalls. “It was so powerful that by the end, I practically had to be carried off stage.”

Queen’s appearance was part of Carnegie Hall’s Nuestros Sonidos series, which highlights Latin music and culture. Queen says that she was immediately floored when she got the call to participate. “I kind of felt like the same vibe when I got the call from Bad Bunny to do ‘Yo Perreo Sola,’” she says, recalling the remix of the smash hit from 2020. “I was like, ‘What? What? Wait a minute, what?’ It was that type of vibe where you’re like, ‘You’re kidding me.’”

It meant even more to her since she spent part of her childhood in New York and had grown up understanding what an important place Carnegie Hall is. “I was telling my crew, New York built most of my character,” she says. “I’m from the Lower East Side, so I was surrounded by a lot of characters, a lot of people, a lot of musicians, a lot of hip hop. It built my character to be a strong one and to earn my spot.”

During her set, Queen showcased the reggaeton that she’s pioneered since starting out as a member of the underground Puerto Rican collective The Noise. However, she also made room for genres like salsa and bachata, displaying the versatility any listener can find on her expansive discography.  “My dad was a guitarist, and he loved trío music, and my mom loved salsa. When they’d argue in the house, they’d play different songs to tell each other how they were feeling, so I grew up with that mix.” During one portion of the performance, Queen brought out drag queens to vogue along to the music.

No matter the genre, what’s resonated in Queen’s music has been her effort to constantly empower women and give them voice on the dancefloor, particularly in a male-dominated genre like reggaeton. It’s part of why she’s continued to support other women coming up in the scene — and there are a few artists she’s backing right now. “I love this girl named La Gabi. She’s Dominicana and she has this flow I’m obsessed with. I get dressed listening to her, I go to the grocery store listening to her. I always have ‘Pikito’ on, I listen to ‘Coco,’ and she just released a song called ‘Salud Mental’ that I’ve been tripping over,” she says. She adds that she’s a huge fan of Ile, the Puerto Rican artist who she collaborated with on the track “Algo Bonito.”

“These women have their own flow,” she explains. “I grew up with music by Celia Cruz and then I was inspired by Missy Elliott. It was this era when women had to look like dolls, and Missy Elliott came along and brought her own style, her own production, her own lyrics. Those types of women, who bring their own spice, is what I love the most.”

Queen sees herself continuing to open doors, and she says she’s got tons in store in 2025. “Tons of music,” she teases. She adds that Carnegie Hall may have led to even more collaborations. “There were important people sitting there, not just as fans, but people who are blessing me with opportunities that are coming next.”