Katy Perry woman of the year ?

All eyes are on Katy Perry and Carly Rae Jepsen Friday as the duo are honored with Billboard’s coveted Woman of the Year and Rising Star of the Year awards, respectively.

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"It's been such an impossibly wonderful year," Jepsen says, "and it just keeps getting better."
In a letter from Billboard editor Bill Werde, he describes the decision to select Perry as the cover subject of THR’s sister publication’s annual Women in Music issue. Werde recalls the feeling he left the theater with after seeing Perry’s concert doc, Part of Me, for the first time this summer.
“I left the movie theater inspired by that thought, and by Katy's strength, as did so many others around the country and the world. The staff discussed the Woman of the Year idea and within a week or two we had reached out to her management,” he writes.
“Toughness and inspiration also abound on our Women in Music executive list. Now in its eighth year, Billboard's Women in Music report exists to inspire and to recognize the inspiration, achievements and talents within the ranks of female executives in the music business,” Werde adds. “The event began at a time when the boardrooms at entertainment and media companies were overwhelmingly male, and sadly, that time is still here. But it has been incredible to watch the contributions women are making to grow this business.”
The annual Women in Music issue is on stands now.