Lady Gaga honoured as Billboard's 2015 Woman of the Year

The Born This Way singer has dominated popular culture and is part of its evolution

The singer has been feted as Woman of the Year by Billboard for her humanitarian efforts, extraordinary singing talent, and the fact that she is emblematic of strength, courage and fortitude.

Succeeding Taylor Swift, who won the title last year, Gaga has been 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.

"From her show-stopping performance at the Oscars, to her co-headlining tour, to her philanthropic outreach and foundation promoting youth wellbeing and empowerment, to her new role as TV star, there is no woman dominating popular culture tastes and its evolution as much as she is today. What a force," said Min.

Read: Deepika wins Woman of the Year at GQ Awards 2015

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.

Next week she will hit television screens in a leading role on FX's American Horror Story. The 29-year-old, will be presented with the honor at a Billboard ceremony in New York in December that will be shown live on national television for the first time.