In a grand collision of pop-punk past, present and future, the Motherfucking Princess Avril Lavigne presented Olivia Rodrigo with the Songwriter of the Year award at Variety's Hitmakers Brunch in Los Angeles over the weekend, where she took the occasion to exalt the Gen Z auteur for marking "a major of return of rock 'n' roll on the charts."
It's been nothing short of a landmark year for Rodrigo, who has quickly become heralded by fans of all ages and critics alike since her opus of a first single "drivers license" made us all feel like we were 16 again.
"This year we were introduced to a new artist whose debut album marked a major return for rock 'n' roll in the charts," Lavigne began, referring to the artist's first LP SOUR, which made Exclaim!'s list of the 50 best albums of 2021.
"From 'drivers license,' to 'good 4 u,' to 'deja vu,' Olivia's singles from her album SOUR have been a part of the collective psyche of 2021 — and she wrote every single one of them," she pointed out, and two of those three singles topped Canada's most streamed songs on Spotify Wrapped for 2021.
"Her songs are personal, her songs are raw and her songs are relatable," the Canadian icon concluded, before welcoming Rodrigo to the stage to accept her award.
"First of all, I want to thank Avril for coming here today — I'm such a massive fan and I look up to you so much, so this is so surreal for me; thank you for the love and support." Rodrigo said upon receiving the honour, which is very sweet of her (although we can never be sure whether it's Lavigne or Melissa who shows up to these things).
Rodrigo added: "I've been writing songs since I was like five years old, and my favourite part about all of this is that feeling of writing a song that perfectly captures how I feel better than any conversation could. So to accept an award for songwriting is really meaningful to me."
Lavigne released her canonical debut album Let Go in 2002 just prior to turning 18 years old — the age Rodrigo was when she released SOUR earlier this year.
Only time will tell whether the American singer-songwriter's work will have the longevity of her foremother in teen angst, but the future of the genre seems like it's in very capable hands.
Watch Lavigne present the award to Rodrigo below.
Lavigne recently announced a 2022 headlining tour of her homeland, while Rodrigo will also head to Canada for shows in Toronto and Vancouver next year.
It's been nothing short of a landmark year for Rodrigo, who has quickly become heralded by fans of all ages and critics alike since her opus of a first single "drivers license" made us all feel like we were 16 again.
"This year we were introduced to a new artist whose debut album marked a major return for rock 'n' roll in the charts," Lavigne began, referring to the artist's first LP SOUR, which made Exclaim!'s list of the 50 best albums of 2021.
"From 'drivers license,' to 'good 4 u,' to 'deja vu,' Olivia's singles from her album SOUR have been a part of the collective psyche of 2021 — and she wrote every single one of them," she pointed out, and two of those three singles topped Canada's most streamed songs on Spotify Wrapped for 2021.
"Her songs are personal, her songs are raw and her songs are relatable," the Canadian icon concluded, before welcoming Rodrigo to the stage to accept her award.
"First of all, I want to thank Avril for coming here today — I'm such a massive fan and I look up to you so much, so this is so surreal for me; thank you for the love and support." Rodrigo said upon receiving the honour, which is very sweet of her (although we can never be sure whether it's Lavigne or Melissa who shows up to these things).
Rodrigo added: "I've been writing songs since I was like five years old, and my favourite part about all of this is that feeling of writing a song that perfectly captures how I feel better than any conversation could. So to accept an award for songwriting is really meaningful to me."
Lavigne released her canonical debut album Let Go in 2002 just prior to turning 18 years old — the age Rodrigo was when she released SOUR earlier this year.
Only time will tell whether the American singer-songwriter's work will have the longevity of her foremother in teen angst, but the future of the genre seems like it's in very capable hands.
Watch Lavigne present the award to Rodrigo below.
Lavigne recently announced a 2022 headlining tour of her homeland, while Rodrigo will also head to Canada for shows in Toronto and Vancouver next year.
