Kelsea Ballerini Accepts Rising Star Honor at Billboard Women in Music 2015

Kelsea Ballerini proved that the sky’s the limit for the young country singer when she received the Rising Star honor at Billboard's annual Women In Music event in New York on Friday.

Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott presented Ballerini with the honor in front of a room filled with such music luminaries as Lady Gaga and Lana Del Rey and the most influential executives in the industry. Scott praised Ballerini for her "poise, beautiful vocal tone and bubbly personality," expressing amazement at how much she's accomplished "in her short 22 years."

Upon taking the stage Ballerini declared, "Ooh, I'm nervous!" and admitted, "Before I was an artist, I was a fan, and I stood in line to meet Hillary" and many of the other stars in the room.

"I learned by watching strong, empowering, bold women how to become one," she said. "I'm a fan of everyone in this room."

Ballerini then performed her hit single “Love Me Like You Mean It," which, earlier this year, made the singer the first female to lead the Country Airplay chart with a debut in nine years, since Carrie Underwood's "Jesus Take the Wheel" in January 2006.

Billboard Women in Music 2015 airs on Lifetime, Dec. 18th at 8 p.m. E.T.