Why Becky G Wants Latinx Fans to Stay Informed About COVID: 'Educating Yourself Is Very Empowering'

As Latinx and Black Americans continue to bear the brunt of the COVID pandemic nationwide, Becky G has used her platform to keep her community informed about staying safe as places like her native Los Angeles roll back regulations to prevent the spread of the virus.

The singer, 23, talks to PEOPLE about those efforts, why she's staying vaccinated and her new song with Burna Boy, "Rotate," as part of her collaboration with Pepsi and the UEFA Champions League.

"As a person who's all about community, I want people to understand that it's those small acts of kindness that go really far," she tells PEOPLE. "Something as simple as wearing a mask, ordering food from a local business really makes all the difference."

"It was so weird in LA. We got locked down, and then a week later it was like, okay, everything's back open," she adds. "I got nervous, because I think it sends a wrong message because it's telling people that it's safe again. People probably see someone in my position as someone who left and never looked back. But I never left. I'm still in LA. I'm still right across the street from the airport in Inglewood, where I grew up. So, I see these things on a daily basis, you know what I mean?"

Using her social media as a mechanism for change and spread of information, especially in Los Angeles where Latinx people are three times more likely to be hospitalized after contracting COVID, according to the Los Angeles Times.

For Becky, it's about staying educated and empowered, especially as access to vaccination starts to increase.

"The more I educate myself, the more I'm getting comfortable with the idea. I've never been an anti-vax person ever. So to me, it's just like, if I'm going to do something, I want to know what it is," she says. "Right now, too, getting vaccinated is a proven solution and protection for our communities."

"I think the best advice that I could give anyone is to make sure that they're educating themselves on it," she adds. "Educating yourself is a very empowering thing that you can do."

After a 2020 filled with so much uncertainty, Becky says she's going into the new year with mindfulness on the top of her mind.

"Last year, really just reality checked a lot of people," she says. "And they realized, "Okay, maybe I haven't been doing a good job watering myself, as if I was a plant.'"

To start the year, she's collaborating with Pepsi for "Rotate," as part of their collaboration with the Champions League. For her, pairing soccer (her favorite sport and her boyfriend Sebastian Lleteget's career) with music, just makes sense.

"I'm blessed that even during a pandemic, I have the opportunity to give something of inspiration and positive energy," she says. "It's those little things that mean everything."

"I can see Seb listening to this with his boys in the locker room before a game, because it's got this energy, this attitude that's just in your face, and it makes you want to dance," she says, referring to her boyfriend.

She says the new song is an indication of where she's heading musically during this new year — "we're mixing it up," she says.

"No genre is off limits," Becky G assures. "I want to switch it up. I want to do things differently and keep it true to that Becky G style, which is a little bit like a chameleon."