Taylor Swift raised a few eyebrows when she dropped the country and went full-on pop with current hit Shake It Off.

But her career gamble has paid off - and not just in terms of record sales - because she's now been named Billboard Woman Of The Year by the influential US record industry magazine.

The honour is in recognition of the way the 24-year-old star has "shaped and inspired the music industry with her success, leadership and innovation over the past 12 months".

It's the second time she's been given the gong - and Janice Min of Billboard's parent company Guggenheim Media commented: "Over the course of her career, she's charted 60 entries on the Billboard Hot 100 - the most of any female artist since her debut in 2006.

"We are tremendously excited to be honouring her as the 2014 Billboard Woman of the Year for the second time."

T-Swift last got the award back in 2011.