Alessia Cara gave a moving speech while accepting the "Rulebreaker Award" at Billboard’s Women in Music 2016. The event occurred this past Friday (Dec. 9) in New York City. The ceremony is being aired on Lifetime tonight (Dec. 12) at 9 PM ET.
“I never really thought that I’d get an award for being a rule breaker,” she said as reported by Billboard.
Cara then pulled out a piece of paper, joking that “I’m a proofreader, so it’s OK,” continuing with, “In fact, it’s crazy to think that there are rules to be broken in self-expression in the first place.”
The “Here” singer then went on to express that being a rule breaker isn’t just about rebellion.
“Sometimes questioning certain standards and breaking tradition is how we find our own truth,” she said to the audience. “To every woman being honored here tonight, I hope that we, as peers, can now teach girls what so many of you guys have taught me. That sometimes rules are meant to be broken.”
Cara also gave an acoustic performance of her hit “Scars to Your Beautiful” before receiving her award.
The singer has been blowing up since 2015, when “Here” first appeared on the Top 40. The song then reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 2016. Her songs “Wild Things,” “Scars to Your Beautiful,” and “Wild” also reached the Top 40.
Cara was also touted as representing the “Class of 2017” in Billboard’s Grammy preview issue this past October.
She is just one of amazing women in the music industry to win an award this year. Other 2016 winner’s include “Woman of the Year,” Madonna, “Icon” Shania Twain, “Rising Star” Halsey, “Powerhouse” Andra Day, “Chart Topper” Meghan Trainor, “Breakthrough Artist” Maren Morris and “Trailblazer” Kesha.
