SZA will be honored with the Woman of the Year Award at next month’s Billboard Women in Music Awards, the publication announced on Friday.
In a statement shared via email, Billboard Editorial Director Hannah Karp pointed to SZA’s genre-defying consistency over the past five years, all of which led up to last year’s acclaimed SOS release.
“Since she burst onto the scene in 2017, SZA has defied genres and continually released raw, powerful songs which have landed her music on the Billboard charts,” Karp said. “The release of her latest album, SOS has solidified her as a distinct force in contemporary R&B, and catapulted her into superstardom. We can’t wait to honor her as Woman of the Year.”
The ceremony itself, tickets for which are on sale now, is hosted by Quinta Brunson and will take place on March 1 at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood. Additional 2023 honorees include Lana Del Rey (the Visionary Award), Doechii (Honda’s Rising Star Award), Latto (the Powerhouse Award), Kim Petras (the Chartbreaker Award), Ivy Queen (the Icon Award), Lainey Wilson (the Rulebreaker Award), and TWICE (the Breakthrough Award).
SZA’s Woman of the Year honoring sees her joining a class of past recipients that also includes Madonna, Cardi B, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, and more.
This news comes amid a particularly stacked month for SZA fans. In a matter of days, SZA is set to launch her first arena tour with a show at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio. Omar Apollo has been enlisted as a special guest for the outing, which spans 17 total dates and keeps SZA on the road until a tour-wrapping stop in Los Angeles on March 22.
