Sheryl Crow Reveals the Life Advice She Gave Olivia Rodrigo (Exclusive)

Sheryl Crow was honored over the weekend at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, and celebrated for her contributions to the artform.

She kicked the show off on Friday with a performance of “If It Makes You Happy,” joined by Olivia Rodrigo, and she spoke with ET’s Rachel Smith ahead of the ceremony — held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. — about the experience.

“It’s so weird to start writing a speech and [then] trying to think of all the people that you need to thank,” Crow said of her induction speech. “I mean, there are people that are with me that have been here 30 years. So, it’s amazing, you know? It’s amazing.”

According to Crow, being nominated for induction “puts you in a weird [headspace],” and you start to worry about being nominated but then not actually getting the honor.

“It’s like being up for an Oscar or something,” Crow said with a laugh.

However, Crow did end up getting the long-deserved honor, and she was joined on Friday by her two sons — Wyatt, 16, and Levi, 13.

“They do think it’s cool,” Crow said of the honor. “They’ve seen the work [that is put in]. They’ve been on all the tours. Even though, for them, it looks like something that mom loves, so it doesn’t look like work.”

While Crow, 61, has been making music for over three decades, she’s also been using her platform to shine a light on a new generation of artists — including Rodrigo, who also participated in presenting Crow’s speech at the ceremony, and playing on stage with her.

“It’s really cool,” Crow said of getting to work with the 20-year-old “Good 4 U” singer. “I mean, you know, I got to sort of lift her up a little bit, because she’s got a new record [out]… I know how hard the second record is, the sophomore. You’re competing with the success of your first record, and she nailed it.”

Rodrigo’s second studio album, Guts, dropped in September to chart-topping sales and critical acclaim that outshined her debut album, Sour, released in May 2021.

Crow revealed a bit of life advice that she gave Rodrigo, as she basks in the glory and praise of her sophomore offering, explaining, “I said, you know, ‘If you can, just write down one sentence every day, of what happened during that day, because you will someday look back [at] this, and try to remember all the things.'”

“The other thing [I told her] is to just stay in the work and stay out of the chatter,” Crow said. “That’s a major thing.”

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony is available to stream on Disney+ and ABC will air a special featuring performance highlights and memorable moments on Jan. 1.

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