Top 10 Things You Should Know About Olivia Rodrigo

Olivia Rodrigo isn’t exactly obscure, but many people may never have heard her name until very recently. If you spend any time on the internet it’s become almost impossible not to notice the way she’s been popping up all over the place. On January 8, 2021 Rodrigo released her debut single “Driver’s License,” and it set the interwebs on fire. On January 11 the song smashed Spotify’s record for daily streams of a non-holiday song with over 15 million plays. Since then Driver’s License has continued to hold steady at the top of Spotify’s US and Global charts. All signs point to a very successful new year for Rodrigo.

“Driver’s License,” is a strong introductory statement to Rodrigo as a singer and songwriter. Of course we’re curious about the artists who might have inspired her development. Rodrigo’s own taste is impressively eclectic. As an admirer of Lorde, it’s not surprising that she’s also a huge fan of fellow up-and-comer, and fellow Interscope Records artists, Gracie Abrams, who has a similar dreamy vocal quality. Her favorite bands include some more unexpected entries like Rage Against the Machine and Smashing Pumpkins. Between her own strong creative instincts and such a wide-ranging musical palate, we could hear some very interesting work from Rodrigo in the future.

Olivia Rodrigo has a lot to be proud of. One thing that she’s especially happy to represent is her family heritage. Rodrigo is Filippino-America through her father’s side of the family. She has spoken admiringly about her great-grandfather’s immigration to the United States. Apart from passing on her family story, Rodrigo continues to celebrate her heritage in her own life. She clearly takes a lot of strength from her family and from the background they’ve given her. Rodrigo’s an awesome model of a modern American Dream with a cool past and an undeniably bright future.

Even if you don’t recognize Olivia Rodrigo by name, you may be familiar with her face. She made her acting debut in 2015 with the American Girl movie “Grace Stirs Up Success.” As a young baker out to save her family business, Rodrigo became part of a classic legacy of modern girl culture. Following in that same vein, she would go on to feature in an episode of “New Girl.” Her role isn’t a big one, but it does factor into Jess’ process of discovering her principal mode, which is still pretty key. It seems like Olivia Rodrigo was destined to make her own impact right from the start.

Rodrigo’s real break came in 2016 when she was cast in the leading role of Paige Olvera on Disney Channel’s “Bizaardvark.” If her early roles were a hint of what was to come, then this was a big flashing sign. Teamed with her best friend Frankie, the offbeat and energetic Paige spends her time making comedic songs and videos for an internet channel. As their work gains more subscribers, the duo experience more success. Sound familiar? Considering that Rodrigo’s own musical career evolved out of song covers she posted to her social media accounts, this seems like a true case of life mirroring art.

After Rodrigo’s successful run on “Bizaardvark” Disney certainly wasn’t going to let all that talent walk out the door. Given her musical abilities, it was the most natural thing in the world to segue her straight into the starring role of Nini on “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.” As the mouthful title would suggest, the series, one of the first developed for the Disney+ streaming platform, follows the on and off stage drama as a cast of high schoolers prepare to stage their own production of “High School Musical.” Not just the star of the show, but of the show within the show, Olivia’s voice has had lots of opportunities to shine.

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that where there is a successful teen star, there will be an audience hungry for information on their personal life. Especially when that personal life seems to revolve around other young, talented people. Olivia Rodrigo was previously linked with her “Bizaardvark,” co-star Ethan Wacker. The relationship, which ended in 2018, mostly played out in now-deleted Instagram posts on Rodrigo and Wacker’s accounts. The exes seem to be on pretty good terms with each other though. However, a more recent rumored romance between Olivia and a current castmate might not have ended so smoothly...

Say what you will about Disney, but the company does have a long history of nurturing the talent of their stars. It’s obvious that working on “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” would be a boost for Rodrigo’s singing, but the show has also given her the chance to flex her creative muscles. Her emotional lyrical style is on display in her original composition, “All I Want,” which was featured on the fourth episode of the series. It went on to achieve some independent success as well, charting at #90 on the Billboard Hot One Hundred. Rodrigo would also work with co-star Josh Bassett to co-write the love song “Just For a Moment,” heard in the penultimate episode of the first season.

We’ve already mentioned Olivia Rodrigo’s musical preferences, but above all other artists she seems to love Taylor Swift the most. Rodrigo, who has called herself “the biggest Swiftie in the world,” has previously posted a cover of Taylor Swift’s Cruel Summer to her Instagram Live. The video even earned a repost by Taylor Swift herself. As if that wasn’t cool enough for a super fan, Rodrigo recently woke up to see her song “Driver’s License” side by side with a couple of Swift’s Evermore tracks on the US iTunes charts. When she posted the photo to Instagram, Taylor was right there again to offer her support of the younger artist. Talk about a moment out of our Wildest Dreams!

It’s clear that Rodrigo’s writing has been strongly influenced by Taylor Swift. “Driver’s License” is a confessional, emotional song about Olivia’s personal heartbreak, similar to many that Swift has built her empire on. One more thing they have in common? The wild speculation they’ve generated about the person who might have inspired the lyrics. Rodrigo was reportedly in a relationship with her co-star and collaborator Josh Bassett, one that apparently didn’t end well. Fans have been quick to pick out clues in the lyrics to “Driver’s License,” that seem to allude to a messy love triangle, and a lot of hurt feelings. Meanwhile, Bassett released his own single “Lie, Lie, Lie,” just days after “Driver’s License.” Interpret that however you want.