Gaga was chosen because she has been “a key influential figure who drove the conversation” this year, said Janice Min, who oversees Billboard as co-president of parent company Guggenheim Media’s Entertainment Group, in a statement on Tuesday.
“There is no woman dominating popular culture tastes and its evolution as much as she is today,” said Min.
The Born This Way singer won roaring applause and social media acclaim for belting Sound of Music tunes at the Oscars ceremony in February.
She played 36 shows on an international tour with crooner Tony Bennett, and this month she released the song and video Til It Happens to You, which will be featured in a documentary about sexual assault at college campuses.
