“I stand here with my fans, my family, my friends, my team, and my faith in accepting such an amazing distinction,” she said in a statement, according to GMA. “It is dedicated to all those who paved the path for me to be able to accomplish the wonderful blessings I’ve been able to receive.”

Knight, a seven-time Grammy winner, is known as the “Empress of Soul,” CNN reports. The beloved musician, who has also been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, established her legacy as the frontwoman of the Pips and as a solo artist.

“You could never have told me as a young girl starting my career that I would be honored on a stage such as this, with artists and humanitarians such as these — it just wouldn’t have seemed possible. It would have been the dream of all dreams,” Knight said according to The Guardian.

Knight is the fifth Motown Records alumnus to receive the honor. According to Billboard, the other four artists are Stevie Wonder (1999), Smokey Robinson (2006), Diana Ross (2007) and Lionel Richie (2017).

Gladys Knight & the Pips made their mark with hits such as “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” and “Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye).” Knight and her crew made history at the 1973 Grammys, becoming the first group to win in the both pop and R&B, according to Billboard.

This year’s honorees will be recognized on Dec. 4 on the Opera House stage at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. The ceremony will air on CBS at a later date.

“For nearly a half-century, the Kennedy Center Honors has represented the very best of America’s creative culture. The Honors is often referred to by past recipients as the pinnacle of awards because it recognizes not just one performance, album, or film, but esteems an artist’s cumulative body of work and influence over many decade,” Deborah F. Rutter, Kennedy Center president, said, according to Billboard.