LADY GAGA TO RECEIVE FIRST-EVER CONTEMPORARY ICON AWARD
AT THE 2015 SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAME GALA EVENT
Six-Time Grammy-Winner’s Songwriting and Creative Talents
To Be Celebrated At One of Music’s Most Prestigious Evenings
Previously Announced Inductees Include Bobby Braddock, Willie Dixon, Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia, Toby Keith, Cyndi Lauper and Linda Perry
New York, NY – April 23, 2015 – The Songwriters Hall of Fame announced today that Lady Gaga will be the recipient of the first-ever Contemporary Icon Award at the 46th Annual Induction and Awards Dinner slated for Thursday, June 18th at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.
The Songwriters Hall of Fame Contemporary Icon Award has been initiated in order to celebrate a songwriter-artist who has attained an iconic status in pop culture.
Lady Gaga is a one-of-a-kind artist and performer. She holds the distinction of generating three consecutive Number One albums on the Billboard Hot 100, continuously topping the charts with pop hits including, “Just Dance,” “Poker Face,” “Paparazzi,” “Bad Romance,” “Telephone,” “Alejandro,” “Born This Way,” “The Edge of Glory,” and “Applause.” Described as the “Queen of Pop” by Rolling Stone magazine, she has amassed an outstanding 28 million global album sales and 140 million single sales, making her one of the best-selling musicians of all time. Lady Gaga has successfully collaborated with multi-platinum artists ranging from Beyoncé to Tony Bennett – with whom she recorded “Cheek To Cheek” a collection of American Jazz standards that won a 2015 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal.
The first woman to receive the RIAA’s Digital Diamond Award, Lady Gaga has won six Grammy Awards, 13 MTV Video Music Awards, been named one of “The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women” by Forbes four years in a row, been featured as Billboard’s “Artist of the Year” multiple times, and been named one of the world’s most influential people by Time. Known for her ostentatious and exciting fashion and performances, Lady Gaga has delighted her fans with massive tours including “The Fame Ball Tour” and “The Monster Ball Tour,” which became the highest-grossing tour in history for a debut headlining artist. Her 2012/13 “Born This Way Ball” was ranked as the fifth highest-grossing tour in 2012 by Pollstar. It was followed by 2014’s “ArtRAVE: The ARTPOP Ball” which reached more than one million fans across 24 countries, making it one of the year’s highest-grossing tours. Lady Gaga is very active in philanthropy and LGBT rights. Launched with her mother, Cynthia Germanotta in 2012, Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way Foundation” is dedicated to empowering youth, embracing differences and inspiring kindness and bravery.
Commenting on the selection of Lady Gaga as the award recipient, SHOF President & CEO Linda Moran said, “It could be said that this honor was created with Lady Gaga in mind. She has enjoyed monumental popularity on the charts, on radio, TV and the Internet, not to mention the continuous press coverage she has generated. She is a consistent hit maker who has surprised everyone by proving to be as adept with the great standards as she is with her own songs. We at SHOF are particularly proud that Lady Gaga performed at one of our songwriter showcases when she was still known as Stefani Germanotta.”
Inductees at this year’s event include Bobby Braddock, Willie Dixon, Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia, Toby Keith, Cyndi Lauper and Linda Perry. Van Morrison will be honored with the Johnny Mercer Award and fun.’s Nate Ruess will receive the Hal David Starlight Award.
About The Songwriters Hall of Fame:
The Songwriters Hall of Fame celebrates songwriters, educates the public with regard to their achievements, and produces a spectrum of professional programs devoted to the development of new songwriting talent through workshops, showcases and scholarships. Out of the tens of thousands of songwriters of our era, there are approximately 400 inductees who make up the impressive roster enshrined in the Hall of Fame. The list includes Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil, Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller, Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier & Brian Holland, Smokey Robinson, Albert Hammond, Desmond Child, Paul Williams, Hal David & Burt Bacharach, John Fogerty, Bob Dylan, Isaac Hayes & David Porter, Richard & Robert Sherman, Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Jon Bon Jovi & Richie Sambora, Elton John & Bernie Taupin, Brian Wilson, James Taylor, Don Schlitz, Bruce Springsteen, Phil Collins, Alan & Marilyn Bergman, Loretta Lynn, Jimmy Webb, Van Morrison, Kris Kristofferson, Dolly Parton, Diane Warren, Paul Anka, Stevie Wonder, Bob Seger, Steven Tyler & Joe Perry, Leonard Cohen, Ray Davies, Donovan and Mick Jones & Lou Gramm, among many others.
Full biographies and a complete list of inductees are available at the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s Virtual Museum at http://songwritershalloffame.org/. Joining online is quick and easy: http://songhall.org/join
Ticket Information:
Tickets for the Songwriters Hall of Fame event begin at $1,250 each, and are available through Buckley Hall Events, 914-579-1000. Net proceeds from the event will go toward the Songwriters Hall of Fame programs. Songwriters Hall of Fame is a 501(c)3 organization. The non-deductible portion of each ticket is $170. Contributions, for which no goods or services are received in exchange, are fully tax-deductible as provided by law.
