‘TIME’ names Olivia Rodrigo its Entertainer of the Year

Olivia Rodrigo continues to rack up the accolades: TIME has just named her its Entertainer of the Year for 2021.

“The 18-Year-Old Singer-Songwriter’s Uninhibited, Confessional Album Captured the Tone of a Turbulent Year,” the publication writes of Olivia. In her cover story, the “Good 4 U” singer talks about her future, running her business and those constant comparisons to other artists — from Taylor Swift and Carole King to Avril Lavigne and Alanis Morissette.

“Young women are constantly compared to each other. I’m the ‘new this’ or ‘this woman meets that woman,’ and that can be reductive,” she tells TIME. “I’m just Olivia. I’m doing my own thing. It’s meaningful when people recognize that.”

But those artists to whom she’s been compared have nothing but praise for Olivia. Alanis Morissette says of the teen star, “She has a steadfast care about self-expression. She’s not precious about it, nor does she seem overwhelmed by it all.”

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Carole King says Olivia has “a gift of knowing how to tell a story in a song.” And Gwen Stefani, the person with whom Olivia says she’d most like to write a song, says she’d be “honored” to do so.

As for what’s next for her, Olivia’s already made a deal to own her own masters, avoiding the mistake that her idol Taylor Swift made as a teen that she’s now busy correcting. She’s also moved into her own place, but her parents still help with laundry and grocery shopping.

And in terms of following up SOUR, Olivia tells TIME, “I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t any pressure. But I sometimes remember: ‘This happened 10 months ago. You don’t have to have it all figured out yet.’”