Billboard honored a new wave of trailblazing women at the 2025 Women in Music Awards, held at the YouTube Theater at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, California, on Saturday, celebrating artists, executives and visionaries shaping the music industry.
Hosted by Laverne Cox, the star-studded event spotlighted influential figures in music: Doechii (2025 Woman of the Year Award); Aespa (Group of the Year Award); Ángela Aguilar (Breakthrough Award); Anna (Billboard Italy Woman of the Year); Charlotte Cardin (Billboard Canada Woman of the Year); Erykah Badu (Icon Award); GloRilla (Powerhouse Award); Gracie Abrams (Songwriter of the Year Award).
Additional honorees included Jennie (Global Force Award), Megan Moroney (Rulebreaker Award), Meghan Trainor (Hitmaker Award), Muni Long (Rising Star Award), Tina Knowles (Mother of the Year Award) and Tyla (Impact Award).
Billboard’s Women in Music Executives of the Year included women from top agencies who helped shape artists’ careers, make business decisions and serve in other key roles within the industry: Jenna Adler, Lucy Dickins, Samantha Kirby Yoh, Cara Lewis and Marsha Vlasic.
Celebrating female influences during Women’s History Month
In celebration of Women’s History Month, some honorees and attendees exclusively shared with Blavity their favorite female artists and the women who influenced their careers.
“I have a lot of inspirations, but Aaliyah is a huge one for me,” Tyla said. “I love her to bits, so yes, I would say her.”
Rising country music star Tanner Adell cited the “Queen of Soul,” Aretha Franklin, as her muse.
“There are gifts that people are given and need to be heard, and that is a voice that I think has carried me through my childhood and adulthood,” the “Buckle Bunny” artist explained.
“I would say Lizzo, Doechii, SZA and Tyla — all the girls. Everybody is just really doing their thing, living in their own path, not trying to compare, and just being themselves,” Queen Naija shared.
A night of powerful performances and speeches
Several honorees took center stage during the ceremony, delivering powerful performances and impactful speeches before a packed crowd. From Muni Long‘s captivating performance of “Superpowers” and her praise for Black women as the backbone of music culture to GloRilla dropping her infamous “eugh eugh” ad-lib and thanking her hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, to Tyla showing off her dance moves to her top-charting single “Push 2 Start” while reflecting on her global success.
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Neo-soul legend Erykah Badu, who is set to release her first album in 15 years, showcased her artistic prowess with a performance of “Annie Don’t Wear No Panties” before sharing a humorous story about a conversation with her daughter about a woman’s private space being the most important thing on earth.
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The “Swamp Princess” reflected on attending the event in 2023 to accept the Rising Star Award, being honored as Woman of the Year, and the significance of Billboard’s Women in Music as a platform for celebrating women in the industry.
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“This is our motherf**king night to rightfully come together to acknowledge each other, support each other and to celebrate,” Doechii said. “We are the creators, we are the executives, we are the innovators who are just as central to this industry as the men. Clock it.”
