Avril Lavigne has praised Olivia Rodrigo for being “an honest voice” to her young female fans.

The singer-songwriter released her debut album ‘Let Go’ (2002) shortly before she turned 18 years old, the age Rodrigo was when her first record ‘Sour’ landed earlier this year.

Speaking to Variety as part of a new profile on the Californian star, Lavigne explained that she was impressed by the “depth and mood” of ‘Drivers License’, Rodrigo’s record-breaking hit.

“I think it’s important for people like Olivia to give an honest voice to so many young women who are still discovering themselves,” Lavigne told the publication.

“Her songs are her truth, and you can really feel that. You can tell it’s real by the way all of her fans grab onto every single word she says.”

Elsewhere in the interview Rodrigo said that she saw ‘Sour’ as being a “slice of teenage life”.

“I think a big part of growing up is going through your first love and first heartbreak, and that was definitely reflected in the album,” she explained, “but I think songs like ‘Brutal’ and ‘Jealousy, Jealousy’ reflect the other parts of being a teenager and feeling insecure and not sure how you fit into the world.”

Rodrigo responded recently to Courtney Love’s claim that she copied Hole’s ‘Live Through This’ album cover. “To be honest, I’m just flattered that Courtney Love knows that I exist,” Rodrigo said in a subsequent interview.

Meanwhile, Lavigne confirmed earlier this year that her seventh album was “done”. She said the follow-up to 2019’s ‘Head Above Water’ would be out “for sure [by] summer”, although it has not yet materialised.