Billboard's Women in Music Event To Honor Alannis Morisette, Nicki Minaj, Brandi Carlile and More!

Billboard, the leading destination for charts, news, trends and innovations in music, announces today its 14th Annual Women in Music Event, Presented by YouTube Music and hosted by Hayley Kiyoko. The high-profile event, held in conjunction with the release of Billboard's Women in Music issue, will happen on December 12 at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, California and will honor the most powerful female artists and executives in the industry including Alanis Morissette, Brandi Carlile, Desiree Perez and Nicki Minaj. Additional honorees of Billboard's 2019 Women in Music event will be announced in the coming weeks.

Hayley Kiyoko will host Billboard's 14th Annual Women In Music Event after receiving the Rising Star award at last year's ceremony. After breaking out in 2018 as a singular and outspoken pop artist with debut album Expectations, Kiyoko returned this year with the bold new tracks "I Wish" and "Demons" ahead of her highly anticipated forthcoming sophomore project; she also co-starred in Taylor Swift's award-winning "You Need To Calm Down" music video, which showcased the power of the LGBTQ community.

Alanis Morissette is the recipient of this year's Icon Award, which celebrates an artist whose impact on the music industry and greater artistic community has been immeasurable. In the nearly quarter-century since her album Jagged Little Pill became one of the biggest critical and commercial hits of all time, Morissette has continued to evolve as a singer-songwriter, actress, activist and, most recently, musical theater composer. Morissette has sold over 21 million U.S. albums to date, according to Nielsen Music, and scored three No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 albums chart; her groundbreaking hits like "Ironic," "You Oughta Know," "Hand In My Pocket" and "Thank U" are featured in the new Broadway musical Jagged Little Pill, written by Academy Award winner Diablo Cody, with music and lyrics by Morissette.

The Trailblazer Award recognizes an artist who pushes the music industry to evolve by using her platform to amplify different perspectives and improve conditions for future generations of performers. Brandi Carlile has enjoyed her most successful year to date, with multiple Grammy wins and several high-profile festival and awards show performances, but has served as a progressive symbol within the country and rock communities for over 15 years. A beloved figure within the LGBTQ community and an advocate for refugee and broader humanitarian rights, Carlile toured behind her acclaimed 2018 album By The Way, I Forgive You this year, and also scored a top 10 album with the self-titled debut of the country-folk supergroup, The Highwomen.

The recipient of the 2019 Executive of the Year is Desiree Perez, the COO of Roc Nation, a storied dealmaker who for the past decade has led one of the most diversified and powerful independent companies in the music business. Overseeing a wide array of operations that include a label, a management division, an agency and the streaming service Tidal, Perez has helped Roc Nation make breakthroughs in sports, tech and gaming, while supporting the artistic and entrepreneurial ambitions and social justice initiatives of its artists including Rihanna, Meek Mill, J. Cole, Shakira, Alicia Keys and Megan Thee Stallion.

Nicki Minaj entered the decade as one of the brightest new stars in hip-hop, and proceeded to spend the 2010s raising the bar for female rap artists in nearly every way. Minaj will receive this year's Game Changer award one year after becoming the first woman to notch 100 appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 chart; over the course of her four studio albums, the superstar shifted expectations for how a rapper can blend hip-hop and pop while headlining arenas, earning four Billboard Music Awards and influencing a new rising generation of women in rap.

"Billboard's Women in Music is an annual opportunity for us to celebrate influential women from across the industry who are impacting both business and culture," said Hannah Karp, Billboard's Editorial Director. "We're thrilled to highlight another diverse group of women this year who've pushed limits, broken boundaries and defined the decade."

The 14th annual Women in Music Event and Red Carpet Pre-show will stream live at YouTube.com/Billboard starting at 6pm PT/9pm ET. Guests will enjoy specialty PATRÓN tequila cocktails throughout the evening as we celebrate and raise a glass to the most influential women in music.

This year's event will be sponsored by YouTube Music, American Express, Bumble Bizz, FIJI Water, Honda, JNSQ Wines, Live Nation / Women Nation and PATRÓN Tequila. For more information please head to https://www.billboard.com/women-in-music and be sure to follow on Instagram & Twitter at @billboard #BBWomenInMusic.

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