OLIVIA RODRIGO
From Disney Channel to “Drivers License”
If you haven’t heard “drivers license,” you might be the last person who hasn’t. If you have listened to the current most popular song in America, we’d like to introduce you to the girl behind the song: Olivia Rodrigo.
Rodrigo is a 17-year-old California native. You might say she was born to be an entertainer –– she started taking acting and singing classes when she was just six years old. She starred in school theater productions before landing her first big film and television roles.
Rodrigo scored her first acting gig in 2015 when she played the lead role in the film An American Girl: Grace Stirs Up Success. But her career took off during her first Disney role. From 2016 to 2019, Rodrigo starred in the Disney Channel series Bizaardvark alongside social media sensation Jake Paul and other rising stars. Rodrigo played Paige Olvera, a guitar-playing teen and one of two best friends who post songs and videos online.
After Bizaardvark ended, Rodrigo stepped into a new Disney role. In 2019, Rodrigo played Nini Salazar-Roberts in the Disney+ series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. She’s widely praised for her performance in the show and her keen songwriting skills. She helped pen two tracks for the show’s soundtrack: “All I Want” and “Just For A Moment.”
It was on the set of the High School Musical series that Rodrigo met fellow actor Joshua Bassett. They were soon in a sweet teenage relationship that played itself out both on- and- off-screen. But alas, it wasn’t meant to be, and the two eventually ended their romance. Soon after, “drivers license” was born.
Rodrigo’s singing and songwriting caught the attention of major record labels. She signed with Interscope Records in 2020. During the past year, Rodrigo has been teasing bits of the song on her Instagram account. When fans demanded a release, she gave the people what they wanted. “Drivers license” dropped on January 8, 2021.
The song is a gut-wrenching breakup track that not-so-subtly alludes to Bassett and his new boo Sabrina Carpenter. It starts as a soft pop ballad but builds to a loud, bold declaration of heartbreak. It’s stunning –– even Rodrigo’s hero Taylor Swift agrees.
And so does the rest of the world. “Drivers license” debuted at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and shattered the Spotify record for most single-day streams. It’s been used in thousands of TikTok videos, and the video has been viewed nearly 75 million times.
Craziest of all, “drivers license” is Rodrigo’s first-ever single. She’s headed for big things
