Olivia Rodrigo Named Billboard ‘Woman of the Year’

After an epic 2021, Olivia Rodrigo will cap her breakthrough year by being named Billboard‘s 2022 “Woman of the Year.” The honor for the “Drivers License” singer was announced on Friday (Feb. 4), along with details on general public tickets for the live Billboard Women in Music Awards, which will take place on March 2 at the YouTube Theater at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Calif.

“Olivia’s trajectory to superstardom is the stuff of pop music legend,” said Hannah Karp, Billboard’s Editorial Director, in a statement. “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.”

With her record-breaking, quadruple-platinum debut single “Drivers License,” critically acclaimed singer-songwriter Rodrigo broke through in 2021 with the raw self-expression on her first full-length album, SOUR. The collection was named the No. 1 album of 2021 by Rolling Stone and called  one of the Best Albums of 2021 by The New York Times, landing it at the top of several Billboard 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, among others.

SOUR scored the most U.S. audio streams from a female debut album ever and broke the record for the most-streamed album in a week by a female artist in Spotify history during its release week, with over 385 million global streams. All 11 tracks from the album have landed in the top 30 of Billboard’s Hot 100, making Rodrigo the first female artist — and the fourth act overall — to simultaneously chart 11 or more songs in the top 30.

Rodrigo will launch her sold-out 2022 SOUR Tour in the Spring, which will visit more than 40 major cities across North America and Europe.