Music Biz To Honor Second Breakthrough Artist Alongside Sam Hunt

The Music Business Association (Music Biz) has announced up-and-coming alternative singer/songwriter Halsey will receive its Breakthrough Artist Awards at the annual Music Biz 2016 convention in Nashville (May 16-18). She will be honored alongside Sam Hunt for this year’s breakthrough honorees, with both presentations set to take place during the Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, May 18, at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel.

“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.”

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. She opened for Imagine Dragons on their North American tour. Her debut full-length record, Badlands, followed on Aug. 28, 2015, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart and spawning the hit single “New Americana,” which was named 2015’s No. 3 most viral song globally on Spotify. She has since toured with The Weeknd; been nominated for Favorite Breakout Artist at the 2016 People’s Choice Awards; and been named MTV’s Artist to Watch and Spotify’s Emerge Artist. Her headlining Badlands Tour has sold out.

Previous Breakthrough Artist alumni for Music Biz include Meghan Trainor, Ariana Grande, Emeli Sandé, Nicki Minaj, John Legend, The Killers, and Carrie Underwood.

Early bird discounts to Music Biz 2016 are available until March 11.