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After joining the Civil Wars’ Joy Williams for a stunningly gorgeous acoustic duet on Paramore’s “Hate To See Your Heart Break,” band frontwoman Hayley Williams accepted the 2014 Billboard Women in Music honor for Trailblazer of the Year at New York’s Cipriani Wall Street on Friday.
“Thank you for having me — I wrote [my speech] down because I was afraid I would make eye contact with Beyonce and forget everything,” Williams joked, nodding to the fact that Queen B was among the music and industry luminaries in the audience.
See more Billboard Women in Music 2014 Red Carpet
“This the greatest honor I could receive, because this is the legacy I want to leave. To be in a band with my two best friends and never do anything that was something we didn’t want to do. It’s an amazing and powerful thing to be celebrated for who you are. There are a lot of girls who never feel that way, and I want to spend my life making them seen and heard.”
FYI, Hayley Williams and Joy Williams aren’t related — although they have known each other since church group days in Tennessee. Even back then, Joy said she knew Hayley was a star. Turns out, she was right.
This post originally appeared on Billboard.com.
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