Olivia Rodrigo is a rare gem in the music industry. She achieved the kind of overnight success that’s almost mythical in the modern, fragmented music landscape. Her song “Drivers License,” released in January 2021, didn’t just break Spotify records in 24 hours; it did it twice. Within a week, it topped the charts in both the UK and the US, even catching her record label off guard.
Even though her debut single was a sensation, it wasn’t a fluke. Rodrigo’s first album, “Sour,” sparked a revival of pop-punk, spawned multiple chart-toppers, and earned her three Grammy Awards. She was even invited to the White House as part of a vaccination initiative and used her Glastonbury debut to protest the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
But beneath the whirlwind of fame and success, Rodrigo remains grounded and introspective. After her “Sour” tour wrapped up in July of the previous year, she retreated from the spotlight to spend time alone, enjoying classic movies and baking oatmeal cookies.
Music, however, has always been her sanctuary. Rodrigo has been passionate about writing and performing since she was a child. Her early songs, like “Naive Girl,” already showcased her signature style—lyrics filled with angst, powerful vocals, and a flair for drama.
In this in-depth exploration of Olivia Rodrigo’s journey, we’ll delve into her remarkable rise to stardom, her creative process, her influences, and the emotional depth that fuels her music.
The Meteoric Rise with “Drivers License”
Olivia Rodrigo’s career trajectory is nothing short of meteoric. “Drivers License,” a heart-wrenching ballad released in January 2021, took the music world by storm. Within just 24 hours of its release, it shattered Spotify records for the most streams in a single day. But it didn’t stop there—seven days later, it entered both the UK and US charts at number one.
Even her record label, Polydor, was taken aback by the sheer magnitude of Rodrigo’s success. President Ben Mortimer admitted, “I think we’d all be lying if we said we knew the extent of what was coming.”
“Drivers License” wasn’t a one-off hit; it was a prelude to something bigger. Rodrigo’s debut album, “Sour,” soon followed, and it turned the music industry on its head. Not only did it spark a pop-punk revival, but it also delivered four more chart-topping hits and earned her three coveted Grammy Awards.
Amid her skyrocketing career, Rodrigo found herself in unique situations, including an invitation to the White House as part of a vaccination drive. Her voice, both in music and activism, became a symbol of change. At Glastonbury, she used her debut performance to protest against the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which removed the federal right to abortion in the US.
As we sit down with Olivia Rodrigo in London in August, she reflects on her journey: “Looking back, I’m like, God, what a crazy trajectory,” says the singer, now 20 years old. “It was, obviously, just absurd and crazy. I’d been writing songs and working my whole life, but it did seem sort of instantaneous.”
In the midst of this whirlwind, Olivia Rodrigo remains a humble and introspective artist, always looking to evolve and connect with her audience on a deeper level.
A Retreat to Rediscover Creativity
After wrapping up her “Sour” tour in July of the previous year, Rodrigo decided it was time for a retreat. While the world was buzzing with her music, she sought solitude and reflection.
“I spent a lot of time alone,” she says, describing long days filled with classic movies, knitting, and baking oatmeal cookies. She jokes, “My God, that makes me sound so lame. Look at the old woman over here!”
But it wasn’t long before she was drawn back to her first love—music. Rodrigo has been obsessed with writing and performing for as long as she can remember. As a toddler, she would make up songs about getting lost in the grocery store or decorating Christmas trees. She even released one of those early compositions as a festive gift for her fans in 2022.
Her first “proper song” (her words) was a piano ballad called “Naive Girl,” which she posted to Instagram at the age of 12. It’s a little rough, but it already bears the hallmarks of her sound: Angst-ridden lyrics, octave-spanning vocals, and a flair for the dramatic.
“I’ve changed myself to help you / But how does that help me?”
Around the same time, she was cast in the Disney series “Bizaardvark,” playing the role of aspiring musician Paige Olvera. This role required her to learn guitar, which later led to her casting in “High School Musical,” where she penned several original songs—setting the groundwork for her solo career.
The Creative Process and Challenges of Fame
Despite her incredible success, Rodrigo’s creative journey has had its challenges. When she started writing the follow-up to “Sour,” she got into her own head, overthinking the process.
“Towards the beginning of writing the album, I struggled,” she confesses. “I’d sit down and write lyrics, and the only thing I’d think about is people on Twitter dissecting them. That’s the antithesis of creativity.”
To overcome this mental block, Rodrigo made a crucial shift in her mindset about halfway through the album’s creation. She decided to focus on making songs that she would genuinely enjoy hearing on the radio. This change transformed her creative process, making it more enjoyable and freeing.
This transformation isn’t surprising, given Rodrigo’s extensive knowledge of music and her influences. She name-checks legendary artists like Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, Jack White, Alanis Morissette, Lily Allen, Billy Joel, and Tori Amos—artists known for their storytelling prowess and memorable lyrics.
During our interview, Rodrigo dives into music trivia, animatedly discussing the stolen demo tapes for Wings’ “Band On The Run” album and Prince’s mythical 1980s break-up song, “Wally,” which was so raw that he had it destroyed.
“What I wouldn’t do to hear that,” she sighs.
On “Sour,” her musical inspirations are apparent, with both Paramore and Taylor Swift retrospectively added to the credits due to similarities to previous tunes.
However, for her sophomore album, Rodrigo aimed for a more distinct sound. She chose “All-American Bitch” as her favorite from the follow-up, emphasizing that it didn’t feel like it was trying to emulate anything else.
Indeed, the opening track of “Guts” is a musical departure, beginning with a finger-picked guitar and a delicate, whispered vocal before exploding into a punky diatribe about the unattainable expectations imposed on women.
“I’m grateful all the time / I’m sexy and I’m kind / I’m pretty when I cry,” she sings, dripping with sarcastic venom.
Themes of Empowerment and Vulnerability
As Rodrigo’s career blossomed, she became increasingly aware of the societal pressures placed on women. Her song “All-American Bitch” boldly confronts these expectations, capturing the essence of the double standards women face—be smart but unthreatening, sexy but virginal, and never unable to control your feelings.
“Women are so discouraged from showing emotions, like anger or dissatisfaction for fear of being [seen as] ungrateful or hard to be around, and I’ve always struggled with that,” she explains.
She further elaborates on the societal pressures she faced: “Because I’ve always felt that pressure to be this perfect All-American Girl, I kind of repressed a lot of feelings in my life. And I think that came up and hurt me in different ways.”
Yet, music has always been her sanctuary—a place where “you can just be as messy and angry and enraged as you want.”
In person, Rodrigo is none of those things. Like many US stars, she’s surrounded by a huge team that fusses over her hair and makeup. Rodrigo, however, is serene and charming. She makes a point of greeting every member of the BBC camera crew individually and offers to pose for photographs, knowing people will be too timid to ask.
In our interview, she answers questions in full paragraphs, wrapping up each thought with a neat concluding line. There’s a self-assuredness that comes from being a professional actress on adult-run sets for half of her life.
The veneer crumbles on the album track “Ballad Of A Homeschooled Girl.” There, Rodrigo documents the social awkwardness she feels amongst her peers as she desperately searches “how to start a conversation” on her phone.
“I went to school on set, on my little laptop, from the age of 12,” she says. “At the time, I didn’t realize how strange it was, but looking back, it’s a unique way to grow up.”
As she gets older, she realizes she missed out on typical American teenage rites of passage. When a fan recently ambushed her with an invitation to prom, she was thrilled, exclaiming, “Oh my God! I’ve always wanted to go to prom. Give me your number!”
Rodrigo reflects on her unique upbringing and career, saying, “I got to do all these amazing things, and I’m so grateful for my career, but you miss out on certain things in pursuit of that, and that’s just how life goes.”
The Creative Process Behind “Guts”
Rodrigo’s second album, “Guts,” had its title long before “Sour” even came out. She appreciates that it has multiple meanings: “Following your gut means trusting your intuition, having guts can mean bravery, and spilling your guts is telling everyone all your secrets—which is what songwriting is.”
What sets Rodrigo apart from many modern pop artists is her approach to songwriting. While others often rely on large teams to craft their music, Rodrigo primarily collaborates with her creative partner, Daniel Nigro.
For “Guts,” they wrote more than 100 songs—a figure that Rodrigo playfully acknowledges “sounds way more impressive than it actually is.” She emphasizes her quantitative approach to songwriting, highlighting the importance of consistently exercising her creative muscles, even when the results might not make it into the final album.
The songs that survived this rigorous selection process lean heavily towards rock, a departure from her earlier work. This change was influenced by the live gigs she performed in support of “Sour.”
“I love doing a song that drives and gets heavy,” she says. “It’s such a cathartic experience to sing that stuff in a crowd of people.”
With the album’s release date approaching, “Guts” is already outselling the rest of the UK Top 10 combined. Reviews have been overwhelmingly positive, with Rolling Stone calling it “another instant classic,” and The New York Times praising Rodrigo as “a songwriter of rather astonishing purity.”
The Art of Lyricism
Lyrically, Rodrigo’s songs work like miniature movie scripts, with scenes that build to a climax and, more often than not, a macabre twist. Take “Vampire,” “Guts'” lead single and her third UK number one. Aimed at an older boyfriend who took advantage of her celebrity, she lays the groundwork from the opening bars, which echo the chord progression of Radiohead’s “Creep” to plant the idea of that parasitic antagonist.
Through the first verse, she makes literary allusions to his shadowy nature: He lives in a castle, he only comes out at night. Then, as the chorus rises, she suddenly cuts the backing track for the big reveal: “Bloodsucker, fame ****** bleeding me dry like a goddamn vampire” (Rodrigo is a master of the strategically-deployed f-bomb).
As the musicology podcast “Switched On Pop” recently observed, “Vampire” gathers pace in the second verse, with galloping drums that suggest a chase scene—but it all ends on an unresolved chord. Our heroine has failed to escape his clutches.
That theme—that of going back to an ex she describes as a “weird, second-string loser who’s not worth mentioning”—reappears throughout the album. “Yes, I know that he’s my ex / But can’t two people reconnect?” she asks on the second single, “Bad Idea, Right?” Meanwhile, on the tongue-in-cheek “Get Him Back,” Rodrigo is having a hard time choosing between her desires for romance and revenge: “I wanna break his heart, just to stitch it up.”
Online sleuths have tried to uncover the target of her lyrics, but Rodrigo knows better than to fuel the fire, simply telling one interviewer: “I’ve dated people that I shouldn’t have.”
Ultimately, she says, revealing too much personal detail weakens the songs.
“I think that’s why music is so magical. You can write about an experience that you feel is really unique to you—and then you put it out and people from all different walks of life are like, ‘I can really relate to this.'”
“For me, that’s been really encouraging. It just made me feel less lonely in the world.”
Connecting with Diverse Audiences
Rodrigo is surprised by how strongly her music connects with diverse audiences. She points out that many older men have expressed their appreciation for her songs, despite her often singing about heartbreak as a 17-year-old girl.
“I was a 17-year-old girl writing all these songs [about heartbreak], and I had so many dads come up to me and be like, ‘Wow, I really love that.'”
This universal appeal underscores the idea that, at our core, we’re all more alike than different. Regardless of age or background, the fundamental human emotions of love, anger, and heartbreak resonate with everyone.
As Rodrigo’s career evolves, her sophomore album, “Guts,” takes on a more hopeful tone. While she wasn’t as heartbroken as before, she assures her fans that there are more heartbreak albums to come. Rodrigo’s music continues to provide solace and connection to those who have journeyed with her from the beginning.
Conclusion: Olivia Rodrigo’s Enduring Impact
Olivia Rodrigo’s journey in the music industry is a testament to her