From a critically acclaimed debut album to the announcement of her first headlining tour to a CMA for New Artist of the Year, the year 2016 has certainly been a big one for Maren Morris. Now, the "My Church" singer will receive one more honor: the Breakthrough Artist award, at Billboard's 2016 Women in Music event.

According to Billboard, the Breakthrough Artist trophy is given to a new artist who has released "career-defining" music in the past year and emerged as a leading voice in the industry.

"Maren Morris has dominated this year, easily becoming one of the most talked-about women in country music today," says Janice Min, president and chief creative officer of The Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group. "With a breakthrough nothing short of incredible, Maren has a stellar career ahead of her that will be marked by enormous commercial and critical success."

Billboard cites the success of Morris' debut album Hero as one of her defining accomplishments as a breakthrough artist in 2016. The project was the first debut disc by a new female artist to top the country charts in over two years; the record features two Top 20 songs, including "My Church," which topped digital song sales in country music as well.

On Dec. 9, Billboard will host their 11th annual Women in Music event, which recognizes women across all genres and facets of the music industry, in New York City. Along with Morris, Madonna will be named Woman of the Year, Meghan Trainor will receive the Chart Topper honor, and country music's own Shania Twain will be lauded as this year's Women in Music Icon. The celebration will air on Lifetime on Dec. 12.

Who Is Maren Morris?

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