MTV has announced Rihanna as the 2016 recipient of their highest honor, the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. A press release attributes Rihanna’s win to her “decade-long impact on music, pop culture, fashion, film, and philanthropy.” She’ll accept the award at the MTV Video Music Awards, where she’s also scheduled to perform. The event will air live from New York on August 28.
Rihanna has sold more than 61 million records within 10 years, and the eight-time Grammy winner is the best-selling digital artist of all-time. She’s also taken home two VMA Video of the Year awards.
In 2012, Rihanna founded the Clara Lionel Foundation, which strives to improve the quality of life for communities around the world by addressing issues such as health, education, and arts.
Previous Vanguard recipients include Beyoncé, Madonna, and Britney Spears.
Rihanna was recently added to the cast of “Ocean’s 8.” She’s joined by Cate Blanchett, Sandra Bullock, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Helena Bonham Carter, and Awkwafina. The singer made her big-screen debut in 2012’s “Battleship,” and she’s also appeared in “This is the End,” “Annie,” and “Home.”