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Billboard honours Aretha, Taylor Swift
Aretha Franklin gave an impromptu performance of Happy Birthday to Taylor Swift, Billboard’s new Woman of the Year, at their annual Women in Music event last Friday.
It will be hard for Taylor Swift to top this as a birthday gift: A birthday serenade from none other than the Queen of Soul.
Aretha Franklin arguably had the best performance of the afternoon as the legend gave an impromptu performance of Happy Birthday to Taylor Swift, Billboard’s new Woman of the Year, at their annual Women in Music event last Friday. Swift swooned as Franklin sang and the pair embraced afterward and she was given a birthday cake.
Technically Swift didn’t turn 25 until yesterday but she was able to celebrate early with the honor; she was one of several women celebrated at the event, which featured some of the biggest names in music.
Billboard’s Women in Music awards honours the top women in the industry, from executives to artists like Franklin, who received the appropriately named Icon award.
Swift used her acceptance speech to underscore her decision this fall to remove all her music from the streaming site Spotify on the grounds that it doesn’t equitably reimburse artists for the use of its material.
“I really believe we in the music industry can work together to find a way to bond technology with integrity and just really hope we can teach the younger generation the value of investment in music rather than the ephemeral consumption of it,” Swift said.
Idina Menzel spoke about reaching the apex of her career after some lean years. “I’m 43 and I’m a breakthrough artist,” she said of getting the Breakthrough Artist of the Year award.
Iggy Azalea did choke up when she received the Chart Topper award, and thanked the women executives who pushed her career forward when she thought it was dead.
Charli XCX received the Hitmaker award; Jessie J was named “Powerhouse”; and Hayley Williams of Paramore was crowned “Trailblazer.”
The event was star-studded; Beyonce sat in the audience to honour her general manager; Sharon Osbourne gave a typically profane speech to honor Universal exec Michele Anthony; and Civil Wars singer Joy Williams, Colbie Caillat and Ingrid Michaelson were among those who performed.
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