Even after the year Katy Perry has had, being named Woman of the Year by Billboard came as a shock to the singer. “I thought my year was over!” she laughed in a new interview. “It does feel like this record has never ended.”

The record in question, 2010′s “Teenage Dream,” launched a number of hit singles, an expanded re-release and the “California Dreams” world tour documented in the 3D film “Katy Perry: Part of Me.” She reached No. 2 on the Hot 100 with “Wide Awake,” her most recent single, which she debuted at the Billboard Music Awards in May. The album set a record with five Hot 100 No. 1s — an unprecedented feat for a female artist.

“I like to be viewed as a strong woman and I think that’s what Billboard is basically saying,” she said.

And Perry credits a number of female artists who came before her, from Ella Fitzgerald to Alanis Morissette, as influences on her sky-high career. “‘Jagged Little Pill’ by Alanis Morissette, every single song struck a chord, an emotional chord inside of me,” she said.

With the “Teenage Dream” cycle behind her at last, she says fans can expect to be surprised with what’s coming next. “I’m excited for the next evolution — it will be an evolution,” she promised.

Perry will receive the Woman of the Year award at the 2012 Billboard Women in Music event in New York City on Friday, Nov. 30.

I finally sat down and watched Katy Perry’s ‘Part of Me’, and I totally loved it! It was a fun movie to watch. The colors were so beautiful – and great music!

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