On Saturday, the 18-year-old “drivers license” singer was presented with the Songwriter of the Year award at the Variety Hitmakers Brunch by fellow female rocker Avril Lavigne
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(554x249:556x251):format(webp)/Avril-Lavigne-Olivia-Rodrigo-d397bfa1f12d4010bc4b2975d7c1a17d.jpg)
Avril Lavigne and Olivia Rodrigo. Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
Olivia Rodrigo is having a fangirl moment!
On Saturday, the 18-year-old “drivers license” singer was presented with the Songwriter of the Year award at the Variety Hitmakers Brunch in Los Angeles by fellow female rocker Avril Lavigne.
Upon accepting the award, Rodrigo admitted she was a huge fan of the “Sk8er Boy” singer, 37.
“First of all, I want to thank Avril for coming here today. I am such a massive fan of you I look up to you so much. So, this is so surreal for me. Thank you for the love and support,” she shared.
Olivia Rodrigo Opens Up About Advice from Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez
Rodrigo added, “I’ve been writing songs since I was like five years old and my favorite part about all of this is that feeling of writing a song that perfectly captures how you feel … so to accept an award for songwriting is really meaningful to me.”
“I wrote ‘driver’s license’ about this really hard time for my life, I watched it affect so many people regardless of sexual orientation, or gender or age,” said the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series actress. “And to me, it’s a really beautiful thing about art, and that was so special for me to not only see how universal all those feelings were, but how music can bring us all together and make us feel less alone.”
Rodrigo also explained that her “heart and soul” are in songwriting and that for listeners to “connect to the music how they have is beyond a dream come true.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
On Instagram Saturday, the music star extended her gratitude for the Variety recognition. “Thank u @shirleyhalperin and @variety for naming me songwriter of the year🥺 and thank u sweet avril for giving it to meeee,” she wrote alongside a trio of photos from the event, including one of her and Lavigne posing with her award.
Lavigne graciously responded in the comments section, “You’re an amazing songwriter. Congrats on everything!”
When Rodrigo dropped her debut album Sour in May, she admitted it was deeply “personal.”
Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Good 4 U’ Named Song of the Summer by Spotify After More Than 600 Million Streams
“Every song is so personal and close to my heart. Getting to share them with people is the most special thing I’ve ever done in my life,” the 7-time Grammy-nominated musician wrote on Instagram at the time, sharing photos from behind the scenes of the project. “Thank u to everyone who made this album happen.”
“I’m so lucky songwriting and music exists,” Rodrigo added. “I hope you guys enjoy the 34 minutes and 46 seconds of me spilling my guts out that is called Sour. Thank you for helping me turn all my unhappy feelings into one of the best moments of my life.”
