Aretha Franklin to get first-ever Billboard Icon Award

Billboard announces that music legend Aretha Franklin is the recipient of the first-ever Billboard Women in Music Icon Award.

Franklin will accept the award at theBillboard Women in Music Awards, on December 12 at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City.

The Icon award exemplifies lifetime achievement for a female artist whose career has had a lasting impact to the music industry.

Franklin will be honored with a line up of industry superstars, including Taylor Swift, who will be accepting the award for Woman of the Year, Ariana Grande for Rising Star, Idina Menzelfor Breakthrough Artist of the Year and Paramore’s Hayley Williams, for Trailblazer, with several more major announcements yet to come.