Rodrigo spoke to ET about receiving the honor and about the crazy rise to fame she's had over the last year.
Olivia Rodrigo is Billboard's "Woman of the Year" and the moment couldn't be more "surreal" for the 19-year-old singer.
ET's Lauren Zima spoke to Rodrigo at the Billboard Women in Music Awards Wednesday night where she was being presented with the honor, and she shared how it feels to be recognized in such a big way.
"Oh my gosh, it's incredible," Rodrigo gushed. "I mean, writing songs is just my favorite thing in the whole world, and so to be recognized in this way, is absolutely surreal, and I'm just so grateful to everyone who has supported me this year."
"[I'm] excited for what's to come," she added.
Rodrigo has had a meteoric rise to the top since the release of her debut single, "Drivers License," and has already been a big award winner, taking home MTV Video Music Awards, American Music Awards and a People's Choice Award, in addition to her Billboard honor.
Rodrigo's latest achievement comes a little over two months after she earned seven GRAMMY nominations in her first eligible GRAMMYs since the release of her debut album, Sour. She's nominated in many of the top categories, including Best New Artist, Album of the Year for Sour, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance for "Drivers License," as well as Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Music Video for "Good 4 U.
Her seven GRAMMY nominations also make her the second youngest artist in GRAMMYs history to score those nominations in each of the "Big Four" categories in the same year.
When asked what she'd tell herself a year ago, Rodrigo told ET, she'd tell her to "keep working hard."
"I would tell her to keep working hard, and that everything's gonna work out and it always does," she shared.
The annual event "recognizes music's rising and A-list artists, creators, producers and executives for their contributions to the industry and community." Some past honorees have included Ciara, Gabby Barrett, Phoebe Bridgers, Doja Cat, Karol G, Bonnie Raitt and Saweetie, among others.
"Olivia’s trajectory to superstardom is the stuff of pop music legend," said Hannah Karp, Billboard’s Editorial Director. "Her talents as a storyteller and songwriter have made Olivia one of the most authentic and exciting new artists to explode onto the scene in years. Connecting with audiences across generations through emotionally charged songs about heartbreak, jealousy and growing up, she’s achieved absolutely incredible chart success for a debut artist. We are thrilled to celebrate her unique voice and the enormous impact she’s had on fans around the globe in such a short time."
Following the release of "Drivers License" and her Sour album, Billboard proclaimed the singer "revealed the tremendous power of her raw self-expression and ultimately cemented her status as the most promising young artist."
For more on Rodrigo, check out the video below.
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