Doechii has been named Billboard’s 2025 Woman of the Year ahead of the annual Billboard Women in Music event, where Erykah Badu, Tyla, and several other influential artists will also be honored.
Badu will receive the prestigious Icon Award, while South African sensation Tyla will be recognized with the Impact Award.
The highly anticipated event is set to take place on Saturday, March 29, at the YouTube Theater at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, California.
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Doechii, who previously won the Rising Star Award at the 2023 Billboard Women in Music event, joins an elite group of artists who have transitioned from that honor to Woman of the Year, following in the footsteps of Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande.
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“After receiving the Billboard Women in Music Rising Star Award in 2023, Doechii has quickly gained recognition in the music industry for her bold creativity and impressive talent,” said Hannah Karp, editorial director of Billboard. “With her genre-blending sound, Doechii is redefining what it means to be a trailblazer in the music industry. We are honored to celebrate Doechii and cheer on her continued success!”
The Woman of the Year title is regarded as one of the music industry’s highest honors, with past recipients including Karol G, SZA, Olivia Rodrigo, Cardi B, Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, Madonna, Lady Gaga, and Taylor Swift.
Doechii is only the second rap artist to receive this recognition, following Cardi B in 2020. She also becomes the second artist from Florida to claim the award, joining Boca Raton-born Ariana Grande, who won in 2018.
On February 2, Doechii made history as the second solo woman to win the Grammy for Best Rap Album, once again following in the footsteps of Cardi B. Her critically acclaimed mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal took home the award. Her electrifying Grammy performance of “Denial Is a River” and “Catfish” was widely praised, with Billboard’s Jason Lipshutz calling it the best of the night.
Less than three weeks later, Doechii added another accolade to her resume, winning Outstanding New Artist at the 2025 NAACP Image Awards.
Her mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal has climbed as high as No. 14 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart. She has also scored two top-30 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 with “What It Is (Block Boy)” and “Denial Is a River.”
The Billboard Women in Music event will be hosted by Laverne Cox and will air live on VIZIO WatchFree+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
In addition to Doechii, the 2025 honorees include aespa (Group of the Year), Ángela Aguilar (Breakthrough Award), Erykah Badu (Icon Award), GloRilla (Powerhouse Award), Gracie Abrams (Songwriter of the Year), JENNIE (Global Force Award), Megan Moroney (Rulebreaker Award presented by Crown Royal Whisky), Meghan Trainor (Hitmaker Award), Muni Long (Rising Star Award Presented by Honda Stage), and Tyla (Impact Award presented by Bose).
Honorees aespa, Aguilar, GloRilla, Abrams, Moroney, Long, and Tyla are also set to perform. Becky G, Julia Michaels, Kali Uchis, Madison Beer, Mickey Guyton, Suki Waterhouse, Summer Walker, Tanner Adell, and Zara Larsson will serve as presenters.
According to Billboard, additional performers and presenters will be announced in the weeks ahead.
