Halsey to Receive Music Biz Breakthrough Artist Award at Music Biz 2016 in Nashville

January 13, 2016 – The Music Business Association (Music Biz) has announced that up-and-coming Alternative singer/songwriter Halsey will receive one of the Association’s prestigious Breakthrough Artist Awards at the annual Music Biz 2016 convention. She joins rising Country hitmaker Sam Hunt as this year’s Breakthrough honorees, with both presentations set to take place during the Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, May 18, 2016, at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel in Nashville.

“Halsey was one of the past year’s most-buzzed-about acts, releasing one of the best-received debut albums, Badlands, which started at #2 on the Billboard 200,” said James Donio, President of Music Biz. “From selling out Madison Square Garden to duetting on Justin Bieber’s Top 40 track ‘The Feeling’ to appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Halsey has had a breakout year that makes her a perfect recipient for this Award. We’re thrilled to honor her alongside Sam Hunt and add them to our list of distinguished Breakthrough Artist alumni that includes Meghan Trainor, Ariana Grande, Emeli Sandé, Nicki Minaj, John Legend, The Killers, and Carrie Underwood.”

“This has been a phenomenal year,” said Halsey. “Thank you to everyone who has been involved. It is a true honor to receive this award.”

Born in New Jersey, Halsey kick-started her music career via social media. In 2014, her original track “Ghost” earned her a significant following after she posted it to SoundCloud, leading to a record deal with Astralwerks and the release that year of her debut EP, Room 93.

After taking the SXSW festival by storm in 2015, she opened for Imagine Dragons on their North American tour. Her debut full-length record, Badlands, followed on August 28, 2015, reaching #2 on the Billboard 200 chart and spawning the hit single “New Americana,” which was named 2015’s #3 most viral song globally on Spotify. She has since toured with The Weeknd; appeared on popular late-night TV shows Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and Last Call with Carson Daly; been nominated for Favorite Breakout Artist at the 2016 People’s Choice Awards; been named MTV’s Artist to Watch and Spotify’s Emerge Artist; and been featured for both VEVO DSCVR and VEVO LIFT. Her headlining Badlands Tour has completely sold out, including an August 2016 date at iconic New York City venue Madison Square Garden.

Music Biz 2016, which will return to Nashville from May 16-18, is the music industry’s premier event, giving the commerce and content sectors a place to meet with trading partners, network with new companies, and learn about new trends and products impacting the music business. Registration is open now, with early bird discounts available until March 11, 2016. For more information or to sign up for the conference, visit www.musicbiz2016.com.