The honor has been initiated in order to celebrate a songwriter-artist who has attained an iconic status in pop culture. Lady Gaga's resume includes three consecutive Number One albums on the Billboard 200, six Grammy Awards, 13 MTV Video Music Awards, named one of "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women" four years in a row by financial magazine Forbes - all on the way to selling 28 million albums and 140 million singles around the world.

"It could be said that this honor was created with Lady Gaga in mind," says SHOF President & CEO Linda Moran. "She has enjoyed monumental popularity on the charts, on radio, TV and the Internet, not to mention the continuous press coverage she has generated.