Olivia Rodrigo helped her role model Alanis Morissette add another honour to her “long list of musical achievements.”
The 19-year-old pop star attended the 2022 Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala on Sept. 24 where she delivered a touching speech to help induct Morissette, 48, into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.
But, before steeping foot inside Toronto’s Massey Hall, where the gala took place, attendees hit the red carpet, where ET Canada’s Carlos Bustamante caught up with Morissette.
READ MORE: Olivia Rodrigo Surprises Fans In L.A. With Alanis Morissette Duet Of ‘You Oughta Know’
“It means the world to me that my writing has invited people to express themselves in whatever way they want,” the singer-songwriter shared, acknowledging her honorary achievement as a Canadian artist.
Morissette’s music has, according to the singer herself, inspired people “to just be who they are,” including Rodrigo.
Inside the event, the “Drivers License” singer began her speech by referencing one of Morissette’s Grammy-winning albums that was released eight years before she was born- 1995’s Jagged Little Pill.
“My life was completely changed. Alanis’s songwriting was unlike anything I’d ever heard before and I haven’t heard anything quite like it since,” Rodrigo said of the album, which she first heard at age 13. “And that voice — fierce and tender and sometimes funny and playful. I became hooked for life.”
“Alanis captured the anger, the grief and the love of the human experience better than anyone. Her songs unite people and empower people and help them heal,” she continued. “Alanis, you’re a trailblazer and you’ve inspired an entire generation of uncompromising, radically honest songwriting. But even more than your long list of musical achievements, I look up to your character and your kindness most of all.
“If they had a hall of fame for being the most incredible human being with the biggest heart, I’m 100 per cent positive you’d be inducted into that one as well.”
During the gala, David Foster was also inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. The musician was joined by his wife Katharine McPhee.
For more on Morissette, watch the clip above.
