Katy Perry Announced As Billboard's Woman Of The Year 2012

The Billboard Woman of The Year 2012 has just been announced and it comes as maybe a slight surprise that Katy Perry has been selected as the lucky winner; Perry has been extremely busy (and successful) this year, but then so have many others and, well, we're not quite sure what criteria it is that they use to decide these awards to be honest, so we'll stop trying to work out the reasoning.

So what's Perry been up to that makes her the deserving recipient of the honour? Well, the star bounced back from a difficult divorce to British comedian Russell Brand right at the end of last year to become the first artist ever to have five songs sell over five million songs in the USA, whilst she also released a 3D part-biopic concert film Part Of Me, that grossed over $30 million at box offices worldwide. She's also reportedly been setting up her own record label and has had time to fit in plenty of live dates too.

"Katy Perry broke into the industry not even five years ago, and has already accomplished more than most artists can hope for in an entire career," Bill Werde, Billboard's editorial director, said of her. "We are thrilled to celebrate these incredible achievements and her amazing past 12 months by honoring her with the Billboard Woman of the Year Award. With what seems like a never-ending supply of record-breaking, chart-topping hits, coupled with her unique and fresh style, Katy Perry is hands-down one of the most exciting and inspiring artists in the industry today."