The 26-year-old Grammy award winning rapper Doechii was named Billboard’s 2025 Woman of the Year. A previous winner of the Rising Star award back in 2023, her continued success is being celebrated with one of the highest honors in the music industry. She is set to receive the award on March 29 at the annual Billboard Women in Music event.
The event, according to Billboard, “recognizes music’s rising artists, creators, producers and executives for their contributions to the industry and community.” This award recognizes Doechii as a woman in the industry whose contributions have made a significant impact, recognizing both her influence and her talent, from her lyrical dexterity to her versatile delivery in her music.
“After receiving the Billboard Women in Music Rising Star Award in 2023, Doechii has quickly gained recognition in the music industry for her bold creativity and impressive talent,” said Hannah Karp, the editorial director of the global music media brand Billboard. “With her genre-blending sound, Doechii is redefining what it means to be a trailblazer in the music industry. We are honored to celebrate Doechii and cheer on her continued success!”
Back in February, the Swamp Princess from Florida made history as the third woman to receive the Grammy award for best rap album, following previous winners Lauryn Hill and Cardi B. The mixtape that landed her the award, “Alligator Bites Never Heal,” has climbed up the Billboard charts as high as No.14 on the all-genre Billboard 200. “Denial is a River,” one of the songs featured on the mixtape, made it to No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2024, the album was named one of the best albums of the year by the Associated Press, calling it “a versatile album that teeters from the romance of her smooth R&B and the particularity of her flows.”
The success of “Alligator Bites Never Heal” continued as more listeners admired and became addicted to the sound that is Doechii. Her latest release, titled “Anxiety,” has rapidly gained popularity, trending on almost every social media platform, including TikTok, where it became a viral dance trend. With its widespread popularity, the track made history this month and reached her highest peak on the Billboard Hot 100 charts at No.13. By sampling the song “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye and Kimbra, “Anxiety” gives the nostalgic sound a new style as she raps about her struggles with constant worrying and mental health.
Doechii becomes the second rap artist to receive the Woman of the Year award, once more following Cardi B, who received the award in 2020. Additional past recipients of the award include SZA, Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande and last year’s winner Karol G. The show will be held at the YouTube Theater at Hollywood Park in Los Angeles. The event, hosted by actress Laverne Cox, will be aired live at VIZIO WatchFree+ on March 29 at 10 p.m.
