Billboard Names Lady Gaga Woman of the Year

Lady Gaga is set to receive Billboard’s 2015 Woman of the Year award. Billboard announced the news on Tuesday, saying that the “Born This Way” songstress will receive the honors during the Women in Music event to be held on Dec. 11 at the Cipriani Midtown in New York.

The annual event will then be aired on Dec. 18 via the Lifetime network. This will be the first time that Lifetime will broadcast the event, given its recently finalized three-year deal with Billboard to televise the Women in Music affair.

Liz Gateley, Lifetime’s Executive Vice President and Head of Programming told Billboard that the female-focused cable network is “delighted” with the partnership and in bringing the special event to a mass audience. On Billboard’s Woman of the Year award for Lady Gaga, Gateley commented that the singer is an “extraordinary artist” that symbolizes “strength, courage and fortitude that Lifetime celebrates.”

“We are thrilled to offer our platform to recognize her in every way she deserves,” Gateley said.

Janice Min, Co-President and Chief Creative Officer of Guggenheim Media’s entertainment group, which consists of Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter, also told Billboard that the singer and songwriter was chosen as this year’s Woman of the Year given her various achievements. Min cited some of Lady Gaga’s accomplishments such as show stopping performances, philanthropic outreach and foundation promoting youth wellbeing and empowerment, as well as her new TV role. 

“There is no woman dominating popular culture tastes and its evolution as much as she is today,” Min added, “What a force.”  

Lady Gaga has kept herself busy this year with concerts around the U.K., Europe and North America, to promote her collaboration project with Tony Bennett titled “Cheek To Cheek.” The two concluded their 36 show tour in August with a final performance at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall in Washington, D.C. Apart from concert shows, the Grammy winner has also turned to acting with her role as a mysterious countess in FX’s “American Horror Story: Hotel.”  The show is scheduled to premiere on Oct. 7 in the U.S. 

Meanwhile, Lady Gaga took to Twitter Wednesday to share her gratitude. The singer wrote, “I can’t believe @billboard named me Woman of the year thank you so much. I am so so so so grateful. My gosh good morning!” Billboard, in turn, has replied to the singer’s message and wrote that they’re “just as excited” to celebrate and honor the singer in this year’s Women in Music event.

Lady Gaga joins the roster of star who also received the same honor, such as Taylor Swift, Pink, Katy Perry and Beyonce.

Source: IB Times