Olivia Rodrigo is the youngest person ever to receive a Brit Billion Award for reaching one billion UK streams
The American singer, 20, received the award, as calculated by the Official Charts Company, on Thursday during a trip to London to promote her new album Guts.
The Brit Billion Award was launched in May and some of the first artists to receive the award include Swedish pop group Abba, British band Coldplay, R&B superstar Mariah Carey and the late singer Whitney Houston.
Other recipients of the award include Lana Del Rey, Queen, Becky Hill and James Arthur, Rita Ora, Lewis Capaldi and Ellie Goulding.
In 2021, Rodrigo performed Drivers License at the Brit Awards, a single certified Platinum by The Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA) in June.
Congratulations! Olivia Rodrigo is officially the youngest person to receive a Brit Billion Award for reaching one billion UK streams
A year later she won International Song of the Year at the awards ceremony with Good 4 U.
Following the release of her album Sour in 2021, Rodrigo is also the first female solo artist to claim three simultaneous UK top five singles with Good 4 U, Deja Vu and Traitor, according to The Official Charts Company.
She recently released pop rock song Vampire, which reached number two in the UK charts and received critical acclaim.
The Brit Billion Award is presented to artists by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), representing the UK’s largest record labels and music companies.
Artists are verified for the award using Official Charts Company data, which calculates an artist’s combined success across multiple projects, with the career total of one billion including songs on which an artist has appeared as a Lead Artist or Featured Artist.
Olivia made the most of her visit to London as she went sightseeing in the capital and earlier in the day documented her journey on Instagram.
She posted a photo of herself by the Thames outside Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament in a chic red pleated skater skirt.
The Deja Vu singer paired the song with a chic black top and a pair of stylish knee-high boots.
Amazing: The American singer, 20, received the award on Thursday during a trip to London to promote her new album Guts
Meritorious: The Brit Billion Award was launched in May and some of the first artists to receive the award include Rita Ora (left) and Lewis Capaldi (right)
Olivia styled her long brunette locks in loose waves as she posed in front of a red phone booth while donning a pair of sunglasses.
In a video shared with her 33.1 million followers, the singer and a few friends posed at the famous Abbey Road intersection, made iconic by the cover of the Beatles album.
She captioned the post: “Going down like London London London.”
Olivia is currently promoting her second album Guts and following the success of her debut album, Olivia has spoken out openly about the pressure to release it.
Speaking on Hits Radio Breakfast, to Fleur East and James Barr, Olivia explained, “Making this album definitely had its ups and downs.”
“And there were days where I thought, wow, the pressure is just insurmountable. I just feel like, I don’t know what I’m going to do, and other days where it was really fun and, you know, having a great time.
“But uh, you know, I think in the end the most important thing is that it sounds so cheesy and cliche, but I just wanted to make an album that I really liked and I was really proud of.”
The singer, who admitted that she has a very small social group of just three friends and her parents, revealed that despite the global success, she has also discovered that some things don’t change.
Having fun: Olivia made the most of her visit to London as she toured the capital earlier in the day and documented her journey on Instagram
“Yeah, I mean, it’s a weird dichotomy,” Olivia said. ‘Because it is, my life is completely different in every way, but also exactly the same and I hang out with the same three people and just the right songs in my living room.
“I have three good friends and I love my parents, and that’s like a social circle. And I like that.’
Guts is the second studio album from the talented artist, who rose to fame in 2021 with her singles license.
Her debut album, titled Sour, skyrocketed the then-teenager to worldwide fame as her music went viral.
At the 2022 Grammys, Olivia was nominated for awards in seven categories, cementing her star status.
She went on to win Best New Artist, Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Pop Vocal Album.
Her new music, which will debut in its entirety on September 8, has already shown signs of impending success.
The album’s lead single, Vampire, topped the Billboard Top 100 chart in early July.
Astonishing: In a video shared with her 33.1 million followers, the singer and a few friends posed at the famous Abbey Road crossing, made iconic by the cover of the Beatles album
Olivia shared a screenshot of the stat, writing, “AHHHHH IM SO EXCITED AB THIS!!! x1000 thanks to everyone who purchased and streamed vampire. I love you!!!! and thank you to my amazing team!!!! ahhh!!!!!’
During a SiriusXM interview, she mused on the difference between working on her first and second album.
“I had so much to write about,” she revealed of Sour. “I constantly felt like I had all these things I needed to get off my chest.”
“I think I definitely didn’t feel that this time, and I think it was kind of a lesson in learning how to make a song for the craft of it,” she added.