Olivia Rodrigo Named Billboard Mag's 2022 `Woman of the Year'
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - Singer-songwriter and actress Olivia Rodrigo has been named the winner of Billboard magazine's 2022 Woman of the Year Award -- continuing the 18-year-old Temecula native's meteoric rise to the top of music stardom.
The award -- which recognizes artists, creators, producers and executives "for their contributions to the industry and community" -- will be presented during Billboard's Women in Music Awards on March 2 at the YouTube Theater at Hollywood Park.
The show will be hosted by Ciara, the magazine's 2008 Woman of the Year.
"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."
Rodrigo, who turns 19 on Feb. 20, made her acting debut in 2015 in the direct-to-video film "An American Girl: Grace Stirs Up Success," then worked on the Disney Channel series "Bizaardvark" for three seasons starting in 2016 before being cast in 2019 in the starring role of the Disney+ series "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series."
Her critically acclaimed, quadruple-platinum 2021 debut single, "Drivers License," set all manner of streaming records on Spotify and debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's "Hot 100."
Her first full-length album, "Sour," was named the No. 1 album of 2021 by Rolling Stone and one of the best albums of the year by The New York Times. It also landed on several of Billboard's year-end lists, including the top Global 200 Artist; top Overall New Artist; top Hot 100 Artist; top Hot 100 Female Artist; and top Hot 100 Songwriter.
Rodrigo also won "New Artist of the Year" at the 2021 American Music Awards and earned seven nominations for the 2022 Grammy Awards, including the top categories of Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist.
Previous winners of Billboard's Woman of the Year Award include Cardi B, Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, Madonna, Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift.
Also performing at the March 2 Billboard awards will be Gabby Barrett (receiving the Rising Star Award); Phoebe Bridgers (Trailblazer Award); Doja Cat (Powerhouse Award); Golnar Khosrowshahi, founder and CEO of Reservoir Media (Executive of the Year Award); Karol G (Rule Breaker Award); Bonnie Raitt (Icon Award); Saweetie (Game Changer Award); and Summer Walker (Chartbreaker Award).
For the first time, fans can attend the Billboard Women in Music Awards. Tickets, ranging in price from $70 to $125, are available at billboardwomeninmusic.com. The show will also live-stream, with the magazine saying details will be announced in the future.