Shania Twain to Receive 'Icon' Award at Billboard Women In Music 2016

Billboard announced today country music superstar Shania Twain as the recipient of the 2016 Women in Music "Icon" award and chart-topping singer-songwriter Halsey as this year's Women in Music "Rising Star" artist.

The Icon award celebrates an artist whose historic contributions to the industry of American music establish them among the highest class of performers. The Rising Star award recognizes an artist whose chart dominance and exceptional talent demonstrates a clear path to success.

Twain and Halsey will be honored at the 11th annual Women in Music event, taking place December 9 in New York City and airing nationally on Lifetime on December 12, alongside seven-time Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and actress Madonna, who has been named Billboard's 2016 Woman of the Year.

"Shania Twain is a groundbreaking artist whose successful country-pop crossover blazed the trail for a new generation of country stars like Taylor Swift, Billboard's 2014 Woman of the Year, and Carrie Underwood," said Janice Min, president and chief creative officer of The Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group. "She's fearless in her career, following her own path and pushing the boundaries of the country music genre as she creates music that has proven to be timeless. She is revered in the industry and we are honored to present the Icon award to her."

Twain is an international music icon with hits like "You're Still the One," "That Don't Impress Me Much" and "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!," which demonstrate the depth and durability of her catalog. During her almost three-decade-long career, Twain has been honored with six Billboard Music Awards, five Grammy Awards, and five American Music Awards, among a long list of accolades. Her smash album Come On Over is the No. 1 country album of all time, and holds the record for the most weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart at 50 weeks and, with 15.7 million copies sold in the U.S., it's the best-selling album by a woman (or solo artist) since Nielsen Music began tracking sales in 1991. Twain has earned four No. 1s on Top Country Albums, with one of those leaders, 2002's Up!, also topping the all-genre Billboard 200. From 2012-2014, she performed all her biggest hits in Shania: Still The One during her two-year residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Twain's 2015 Rock This Country Tour, her first in 11 years, grossed more than $65 million and was second only to Kenny Chesney among 2015 country tours.

Halsey, who will perform at the awards ceremony, broke onto the scene in 2015 with the success of her debut album BADLANDS (certified Platinum and peaking at No. 1 on Alternative Albums and No. 2 on the Billboard 200). She went on to score a nomination for Favorite Breakout Artist at the 2016 People's Choice Awards and a spot on tour with The Weeknd. She sold out two headline tours including a headline show at Madison Square Garden in minutes and she was named MTV's Artist To Watch in 2015 and Spotify's Emerge Artist that same year. She's currently sitting atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart for a 10th week with the smash single "Closer," a collaboration with The Chainsmokers. Billboard's 2015 "Rising Star" artist was Kelsea Ballerini.

Min added, "Halsey is the voice of a generation, someone who is an impassioned political advocate and personal artist, the kind who can have a No. 1 single, as she did with 'Closer,' and not at all be categorized as your typical pop star. Her credibility and talent make her a must-have collaborator for the likes of Justin Bieber and The Chainsmokers. Her incredible talent has earned her this year's Rising Star award and we look forward to hearing what's next from her as she continues making music during what we know will be a long and successful career."

Produced for the second year by Charlie Haykel and Juliane Hare of Don Mischer Productions, the star-studded Women in Music event is held in conjunction with the publication of Billboard's hotly anticipated Women in Music list, which identifies the 50 most powerful female executives in the industry each year.

Sponsors of the 2016 Women in Music event include American Airlines, PANDORA Jewelry, Mercedes-Benz USA, Nielsen Entertainment and Iron Mountain Entertainment Services.

Additional Billboard 2016 Women in Music honorees will be announced in the coming weeks.

Billboard magazine has scored major news-generating covers recently including Kim Kardashian, The Chainsmokers, Nick Jonas & Demi Lovato and Shawn Mendes.

Billboard is the world's most influential music brand, built on the most complete and well-respected database of charts across all music genres. The Billboard charts define success in music. From the iconic Billboard magazine to Billboard.com, the ultimate consumer-facing destination for millions of passionate music fans, to the industry's most elite conference series and influencer events including the Power 100 and Women in Music - the Billboard brand has unmatched authority among fans, artists and the industry alike. Billboard was named the leading U.S. brand on Twitter, surpassing the NFL, ESPN, BuzzFeed and MTV, with 6.1 million engaged actions in Q3 2015, and named an overall Top 10 U.S. Media Publisher in December 2015 with 11.8 million social actions. Billboard has a social media footprint of 14.8 million social followers across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Billboard magazine has published major news-generating covers recently including Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, Selena Gomez, Fifth Harmony, Justin Bieber, an open letter to Congress signed by 180+ of the music industry's biggest stars and executives. In December 2015, the Billboard Women in Music ceremony, which honored Lady Gaga as Woman of the Year, was presented to a mass audience for the first time via Lifetime, the exclusive broadcast partner.

Lifetime is a premier entertainment destination for women dedicated to offering the highest quality original programming spanning scripted series, non-fiction series and movies. The critically acclaimed UnREAL, Project Runway, Dance Moms, Bring It!, The Rap Game and Little Women franchises anchor the network's programming, in addition to its over 25 original movies annually that continue to define the TV movie genre. In 2015, Lifetimelaunched Broad Focus, a major global initiative dedicated to supporting and hiring female directors, writers and producers to make its content which totals over 450 original hours. Lifetime's Fempire positions the network as a curator of feminist content and conversations, as well as a place where women connect, learn and are entertained. Lifetime Television, LMN, Lifetime Real Women and Lifetime Digital are part of LifetimeEntertainment Services, LLC, a subsidiary of A+E Networks. A+E Networks is a joint venture of the Disney-ABC Television Group and Hearst Corporation.

Don Mischer Productions (DMP) is an internationally acclaimed and universally respected producer of television and live events. Led by Don Mischer and Charlie Haykel, along with Juliane Hare, DMP has consistently produced programs that share the best of the human experience, whether it be the work of our most acclaimed artists or the celebration of our most cherished monuments and greatest international events. They are at the forefront of their craft, with an eye to innovate and advance the art form.

Some of their marquee productions include: We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial, the Kennedy Center Honors, 14 Primetime Emmy Awards, Super Bowl halftime shows (Prince, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen, among others), the Opening Ceremonies of both the Winter and Summer Olympic Games (Atlanta and Salt Lake City), and the 83rd, 84th and 85th Academy Awards. Other productions include the Billboard Music Awards, the groundbreaking Breakthrough Prize ceremony and specials featuring Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Bono, Prince, Lady Gaga, Rhianna, Stevie Wonder and Barbra Streisand, among many others.

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