Women In Music Awards

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01 Apr 2025

Megan Amic On Why Muni Long Is Billboard’s Women In Music Rising Star | Billboard Women In Music 2025

Megan Amic caught up with Billboard’s Judy Sanchez on the red carpet at the Billboard Women in Music 2025.

Judy Sanchez:

All right. Well, we’re here at Billboard’s Women in Music 2025 with Megan Amic, how are you feeling this evening, Megan?

Megan Amic:

Feeling great. Really excited to be here. You know, this event is just such an amazing celebration of women and their stories. And I’m just so excited to be here on behalf of Honda.

That’s awesome. And the Honda Stage is presenting the Rising Star Award to Muni Long this year. Can you tell us more about what it means for Honda to be a part of this evening and to support rising stars like Muni?

Yeah, so Honda has been a big supporter of the music industry for over two decades. It’s a big component to our success in and also reaching out to new car buyers. What we really like about Billboard Women in Music specifically is the ability to support and showcase women of diverse talents, and so we’re just really excited to be here. We’ve been a part of the program for a few years now, and we’ve had the luxury of presenting the Rising Star Award to talent such as Chloe x Halle, to Gabby Barrett, Victoria Monét and even Doechii. And so, you know, we’re very excited this year to present to to Muni Long the 2025 Honda Rising Star Award. Muni has been just amazing to watch. She’s such a versatile talent, and she is just so inspirational, really sticking true to herself, really authentic, and that really kind of aligns with the Honda ethos.

Keep watching for more!

31 Mar 2025

Doechii Accepts the Woman of the Year Award | Billboard Women In Music 2025

Doechii accepts the Woman of the Year Award at Billboard Women In Music 2025.

Doechii:

Hello! Where’s the swamp? Do I have any fans in here? I cannot believe this. It was just two years ago that I stood on this very stage and accepted Billboard’s Rising Star Award. I had literally performed so hard that I danced my shoes off, and I had to hop up to this mic. And now, here I am—right back at the mic. That moment really reflects how I’ve approached my entire career: always go full out, always go hard, and always be fab. Okay? Always. So now, as I thank God and my family, I’m standing in a full-circle moment as Billboard’s Woman of the Year. But more importantly, I stand here as a fierce ally. And that word, ally, is a key reason why there is a Billboard Women in Music. At the time of the award show’s launch in 2007, women working in the music business were tired—tired of not getting their fair share of seats at the table, tired of not getting the credit they deserved, or the roses they absolutely earned for their contributions to the industry. Because y’all, stop cutting up! My point is that this event was created out of a necessity. And that word, necessity, is important. It hits me because my mixtape, Alligator Bites Never Heal, was a space that I created out of necessity—a necessity for a place where I could feel seen, where I could feel heard, and where I could connect with other people through shared experiences.

Keep watching for more!

31 Mar 2025

DJ Miss Milan & Jayda Love Present Doechii With the Woman of the Year Award | Billboard Women in Music 2025

DJ Miss Milan & Jayda Love present Doechii with the Woman of the Year Award at Billboard’s Women in Music.

DJ Miss Milan & Jayda Love:
What’s up ladies? I am DJ Miss Milan and I’m Jayda Love. And we are so thrilled to be here tonight to honor our girl, Doechii. Two years ago on this very stage, Doechii was honored with the Billboard Women in Music Rising Star Award. And that was just the beginning. We’re only three months into 2025, and she already earned five more Hot 100 hits. And let’s not forget about the Grammy Award for best rap album, Alligator Bites Never Heal. It’s no surprise that everyone from SZA to Janelle Monáe to tonight’s Global Force honoree Jennie has collabed with her. She brings something truly special to the mix. As her longtime engineer and collaborator I get to watch Doechii take on all her creative ideas, break them down, build them back up to make them truly hers. We do. She’s a collaborator in every sense of the word, whether it’s music, visuals, styling, performances. She’s there alongside her team as a leader and as a decision maker. That’s right. Working together on the Grammy Award winning Alligator Bites Never Heal mixtape with Doechii and the rest of the team has been a phenomenal experience. It’s been an incredible ride as Doechii and myself have literally performed damn near all around the world. Okay, we got a lot more to go though. She brings out the amazing sense of honest sisterhood in everyone she works with, encouraging us all to stand out in our own ways. Although she stands dominating every scene and every stage she’s on, let’s take a look at our favorite Swamp Princess.

31 Mar 2025

Erykah Badu Accepts the Icon Award | Billboard Women In Music 2025

Erykah Badu accepts the Group of the Year award at Billboard Women In Music 2025.

Erykah Badu:
Thank you so much. Hey. Thank you so much. Peace and love, how y’all feel. Sisters, how y’all feel? This night is for us. It’s a night to celebrate the womb of the world, the womb of life, the womb-iverse of all things. The smartest creature on planet Earth. The wisest, the most invincible, sexiest, purest, finest. The woman. Thank you so much. I want to thank God for giving me the opportunity to be born a woman. I’m coming. I want to thank my mother and all the mothers. Miss Tina, you said it well. All the mothers. I see Doechii’s mama out there, all the mothers. Thank you so much for giving us so much inspiration and examples of what it means to be resilient, what it means to take charge, what it means to be courageous, what it means to be authentically ourselves. And that’s all we gonna be. That’s all I want to be. I don’t really have a lot of things to say, but I want to end with this story. My daughter is out here. Her name is Puma. She’s over there. My sister Joy is out there. This is for both of y’all. But here’s my story. I was bathing my youngest daughter, Mars, and Mars was about four. And I was bathing her. And I was washing her up. You know, you teach them while you’re washing them up. And I said, “and this is the vagina.” And she said, “oh, vagina.” Yeah. I said, “yes, it’s the vagina. It’s the most important thing on the planet.” And Mars said, “Really?” Then she looked at me with those big brown eyes and she said, “where is the planet’s vagina?”

Watch the full video above!

31 Mar 2025

Erykah Badu Performs “Annie Don’t Wear No Panties” | Billboard Women In Music 2025

Erykah Badu performs “Annie Don’t Wear No Panties” at Billboard Women In Music 2025.

It was legend meeting the next generation she birthed when Ms. Erykah Badu received the Music Icon Award from R&B star Summer Walker. And it turns out that Badu was the doula who delivered Walker’s twin sons. “She’s been my fave artist since I was 12,” said Walker, who also called Badu her idol and mentor. After singling out Badu’s “fearless artistry,” Walker introduced a video that captured the influence that Badu has had on a host of established and emerging artists: “As an artist,” said Badu, “I never thought it was my job to be [limited] to any one category.”

During her warm, freewheeling acceptance speech, Badu shared a story where she explained to her daughter that the vagina was the most important thing on earth, to which her daughter asked, “Where is the earth’s vagina?” After noting that she may have paused too long between the set-up and the punchline, Badu repeated the final part of her anecdote – and on the second time around, Badu had the whole theater laughing.

31 Mar 2025

Summer Walker Presents Erykah Badu With the Icon Award | Billboard Women In Music 2025

Summer Walker presents Erykah Badu with the Icon Award at Billboard Women In Music 2025.

Summer Walker:

Hello, Billboard Women in Music! A few things have changed since I was last here in 2022, including having my twin boys. Thank you. And I’m not just bringing that up because I love being a mom—shout out to all the moms in the room. Hey! But also because tonight’s Icon Award honoree was my doula. That’s right—the spiritual, soulful, beautiful, and talented Erykah Badu helped bring my babies into this world. She’s been a mentor and a safe space for me, and honestly, this is truly a full-circle moment, considering she’s been my favorite artist since I was 12 years old.

So thank you for allowing me to present this. Ever since she burst onto the scene in 1997 with Baduizm, Erykah’s magic has captivated listeners. The album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart, held the No. 1 spot for four weeks on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and won two Grammys, including best R&B album. Since then, she has released five studio albums, countless singles and EPs, and has toured the world. Along the way, she helped launch a unique music movement that exists somewhere between R&B, hip-hop, and soul. Some call it neo-soul; others call it neo-funk. I call it the combination of a voice and an incredible fearlessness in artistry that has influenced an entire generation of performers.

Her hit collaborations include work with The Roots, D’Angelo, Macy Gray, and Janelle Monáe. Now, let’s take a moment to honor this year’s Billboard Women in Music Icon, Erykah Badu!

31 Mar 2025

aespa Accepts the Group of the Year Award | Billboard Women In Music 2025

aespa accepts the Group of the Year award at Billboard Women In Music 2025.

aespa:

Hello, everyone. We’re aespa, and I’m Giselle. Hi, I’m Karina. Hi, I’m Winter. I’m Ningning. Wow. What an incredible honor. We are so grateful to be in this room filled with such amazing artists that truly inspire us. And, of course, thank you to Billboard for naming us Group of the Year. We want to cheer on all the women who are chasing their dreams and hope that everyone gets a chance to reach their full potential. Music really does connect all of us, and we’re so grateful to be part of this journey. We also can’t forget our MYs. Thank you, guys, so, so much. I hope you know that this award is yours. Your love and support push us to dream bigger—we love you too. We promise to continue working hard to be artists who can inspire and uplift you. Thank you so much to Billboard Women in Music and, most importantly, to our MYs—because this is just the beginning! As female artists in music, taking on new challenges is something we are truly proud of. Every performance and every song reflects our passion, and we believe we are standing here today because so many of you connected with our work. We can’t wait for the journey ahead together with you. Thank you for this incredible honor. We’ve shared so many unforgettable moments together, but I truly believe this is just the beginning. We’re just getting warmed up, and I promise we’ll be back with even more stages, more powerful performances, and new music.

Keep watching for more!

31 Mar 2025

Hannah Karp Presents Tina Knowles With Mother of the Year | Billboard Women In Music 2025

Hannah Karp presents Tina Knowles with Mother of the Year at Billboard Women In Music 2025.

Good evening. So, I know I was just introduced as the Editor-in-Chief of Billboard, but there’s another title that I’m even more proud to hold: I’m Odessa and Gloria’s mom. But even when you have perfect children like I do, being a mom in the music business can be extremely challenging—whether you’re an artist, a manager, or an executive. With all the late nights, constant travel, and the growing pressure to look glamorous (like you all do tonight, but at all times), the challenges can add up. If you’re a mom raising a musician, that presents its own unique set of challenges. You have to balance the often conflicting goals of nurturing your child’s dreams, teaching them how to make good art and business decisions, and protecting them from an industry and a public that is not always very kind. So, this year, we’re introducing a new award to celebrate the power of motherhood in music. Give it up for motherhood and the moms who’ve been instrumental in bringing today’s top hits, biggest tours, and most influential artists to life—in some cases, literally. We need to honor these intrepid women, talk more about the struggles they face, and make the industry into a more supportive place that allows moms to thrive as leaders without sacrificing their dedication to parenthood. I am thrilled to present our inaugural Mother of the Year Award to one of the most powerful moms in music, who is starting this crucial conversation in a big way as she tells her own inspiring story in a book coming out next week.

Keep watching for more!

31 Mar 2025

Gracie Abrams Accepts the Songwriter of the Year Award | Billboard Women In Music 2025

Gracie Abrams accepts the Songwriter of the Year Award at Billboard Women In Music 2025.

Gracie Abrams:

First of all, ladies and gentlemen, Victoria Monét! Seriously, this incredible artist is, at a minimum, a quadruple threat. She’s an insane writer, unparalleled vocalist, inventive producer, and amazing dancer. I’m just in awe of you every day. Thank you so much for this—you’re a talent for the ages. I’m so grateful to be up here with you. Thank you. Hi, everyone. I’m so honored—and even more gobsmacked—to be receiving this award tonight. My deepest gratitude to Billboard for even considering me for this. Songwriting is wild. It’s sometimes wildly embarrassing, wildly informative, and sometimes it’s like a drug. It’s our prose and our poetry. It’s our most private diary entries and our loudest clarion calls. It’s our hiding place and, sometimes, our very salvation. I’ve been lucky to learn from and write with some of the most wonderful and talented people. The incomparable Miss Taylor Swift—I will never stop pinching myself, and I will never stop thanking her for the gift of her pen, which very much raised me. Sarah Aarons—I looked up to Sarah’s writing for ages before I ever met her. I was 19 when we first worked together, and she didn’t need to be as kind to me as she was, but she was, and I will cherish that forever. To my best friend and the most clever Audrey Hobert—for every single reason, I am me because of you. And our album is what it is because of you. Having never written a song prior to The Secret of Us, you helped me translate every single feeling I was itching to articulate on this album.

Keep watching for more!

31 Mar 2025

Gracie Abrams Performs ‘I Love You, I’m Sorry’ | Billboard Women In Music 2025

Gracie Abrams performs “I Love You, I’m Sorry” at Billboard Women In Music 2025.

Here are lyrics to Gracie Abrams’s “I Love You, I’m Sorry”:

Two Augusts ago

I told the truth, oh, but you didn’t like it, you went home

You’re in your Benz, I’m by the gate

Now you go alone

Charm all the people you train for, you mean well but aim low

And I’ll make it known like I’m getting paid

That’s just the way life goes

I like to slam doors closed

Trust me, I know it’s always about me

I love you, I’m sorry

Two summers from now

We’ll have been talking, but not all that often, we’re cool now

I’ll be on a boat, you’re on a plane

Going somewhere, same

And I’ll have a drink

Wistfully lean out my window and watch the sun set on the lake

I might not feel real, but it’s okay, mh

‘Cause that’s just the way life goes

I push my luck, it shows

Thankful you don’t send someone to kill me

I love you, I’m sorry

You were the best but you were the worst

As sick as it sounds, I loved you first

I was a dick, it is what it is

A habit to kick, the age-old curse

I tend to laugh whenever I’m sad

I stare at the crash, it actually works

Making amends, this shit never ends

I’m wrong again, wrong again

The way life goes

Joyriding down our road

Lay on the horn to prove that it haunts me

I love you, I’m sorry

The way life goes (you were the best but you were the worst)

(As sick as it sounds, I loved you first)

I wanna speak in code (I was a dick, it is what it is)

(A habit to kick, the age-old curse)

Hope that I don’t, won’t make it about me (I tend to laugh whenever I’m sad)

(Stare at the crash, it actually works)

I love you, I’m sorry

WRITERS

Audrey Hobert, Aaron Dessner, Gracie Abrams

PUBLISHERS

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