Sheryl Crow Hails Olivia Rodrigo As ‘the Real Deal’: Watch

Olivia Rodrigo officially has the Sheryl Crow stamp of approval. During a Thursday (Nov. 2) appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the nine-time Grammy winner sang the “Bad Idea Right” singer’s praises as she discussed the upcoming Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

“She’s the real deal. She’s precious,” Crow gushed. “She’s a great songwriter. She seems kinda unaffected by all of it, you know? When I was 19 — her age — I was like, ‘How do you fill out this application for college?!’”

Rodrigo — who took some time to attend class at USC’s Thornton School of Music after wrapping the promotional run for her Sour album — is now 20 years old, making her several years younger than Crow’s highest charting Billboard Hot 100 hit, 1994’s “All I Wanna Do” (No. 2).

The “Strong Enough” singer revealed that she first met Rodrigo “last year during a whole bunch of Grammy stuff.” “We wound up on some stuff together, and she’s super cool,” she added. “She asked me to do this thing when she came to Nashville, and so I was like, ‘OK!’”

The “thing” in question was an intimate, stripped-down September performance at The Bluebird Café in Nashville. The pair duetted on Crow’s 1996 hit “If It Makes You Happy” (No. 10).

In the caption for a Sept. 29 Instagram post — which consisted of an adorable photo of the two stars posing with magazines while sitting under hair dryers — Rodrigo wrote, “Pinch me! Sang one of my favorite songs of all time with the greatest of all time @sherylcrow !!!! what an honor!!!!” Crow also reposted the image to her main feed with the caption, “Funnest day ever with the amazingly brilliant @oliviarodrigo! What a talent!! And the loveliest young woman!”

As for Friday’s Rock Hall induction, Crow — who dropped a new song called “Alarm Clock” on Friday (Nov. 3) — explained that she simply “texted [Rodrigo] and said, ‘Hey, would you do the Rock Hall with me?’ And she was like, ‘I’d love to! I’d be so honored!’”

The “Good 4 U” singer — who is also a finalist for top female artist at the 2023 Billboard Music Awards — will again join Crow onstage for a performance at the 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which kicks off at 8 p.m. ET.

“I was cool with my kids!” Crow quipped of getting Rodrigo to join her.

Watch the “Everyday Is a Winding Road” singer discuss her relationship with Olivia Rodrigo above, and her performance of “Alarm Clock” on The Tonight Show below.