06 November 2015
Newsdesk
Billboard today announced singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey as the “Trailblazer” award recipient for the brand’s Women in Music. The award recognizes an artist whose vanguard approach to craft, song and style has been pioneering in music.
Del Rey, the recent subject of an October 31 Billboard magazine cover, will accept her award at the 10th annual Billboard Women in Music ceremony. Lifetime, the exclusive broadcast partner, will air Women in Music on December 18, bringing the iconic event to a mass audience for the first time. Paramore’s Hayley Williams was the 2014 “Trailblazer” honoree.
“Lana Del Rey has done things her way from the moment she first burst on the scene, and continues to make brave and bold choices that defy convention,” said Janice Min, co-president and chief creative officer of Guggenheim Media’s Entertainment Group, which consists of Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter. “She’s a trailblazer from her music to her mystery to her multitude of other interests. She keeps everyone awaiting her next move.”
Del Rey has earned four top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 chart: her full-length Interscope records debut, Born to Die (No. 2 peak in 2012), Paradise EP (No. 10), Ultraviolence (No. 1 in 2014) and her latest album, Honeymoon (No. 2 in 2015).
She's also claimed eight entries on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including the hit "Summertime Sadness" with Cedric Gervais, which reached No. 6 in 2013. On the Billboard + Twitter Top Tracks chart, Del Rey has tallied five top 10 hits, including the No. 1 "Honeymoon."
The 2015 Women in Music event will honor the best and brightest female artists of today, including Woman of the Year Lady Gaga, Chart Topper Selena Gomez and Rulebreaker Demi Lovato. The program is held in conjunction with the publication of Billboard’s Women in Music list, which selects the year’s 50 most powerful female executives in the industry. Additional 2015 honorees will be announced in the coming weeks.
