Billboard has announced that it will honor Janelle Monáe at its 13th annual Women in Music event on December 6 in New York City. Monáe will accept the Trailblazer Award. The highly regarded event, held in conjunction with the release of Billboard’s Women in Music issue, will also honor the most powerful female executives in the industry.
“Janelle Monáe’s insatiable drive to incorporate new, untold stories into her artistic projects — while synthesizing classic funk, soul, R&B, jazz, hip-hop and rock — makes her a truly unique voice. Popular music is more interesting today because Janelle Monáe is part of it,” says Billboard’s Editorial Director, Jason Lipshutz.
The Trailblazer Award recognizes a female artist who acts as a pioneer within the music industry by using her platform to amplify unheard voices and break ground for future generations of performers. Janelle Monáe has helped redefine how a black woman can be represented in popular culture over the past decade, and with her No. 6-peaking album Dirty Computer — along with its sci-fi-inflected accompanying film project of the same name — she has continued unleashing her creativity in striking new ways.
The 13th annual Women in Music event and red-carpet pre-show will be broadcast live on Twitter, 7pm-10pm EST on December 6. Additional honorees of Billboard’s 2018 Women in Music event will be announced in the coming weeks. The 2018 event is sponsored by American Airlines, American Express, Fiji, Honda Stage and Nielsen Music.
