The similarities between January 2020 and January 2021 are eerie: COVID cases are growing, American President Donald Trump is being impeached, and everyone seems to love Olivia Rodrigo’s new song.
Rodrigo rose to fame in late 2019, with the Disney+ original series’s release, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, where she plays the character Nini Salazar-Roberts, a character that plays the female lead in the play.
For the series, Rodrigo wrote and sang the song “All I Want,” her first hit, backed by the Disney machine. Since Rodrigo gained a following, she wrote and sung short songs, posting them on Instagram. In fact, a snippet of the song drivers license originally appeared on her Instagram account, receiving so much praise she expanded it to a full-length single.
Released on January 8, 2021, drivers license quickly flew up the charts. The single initially gained fame on TikTok, not as a viral trend, but as more influential creators heard, enjoyed, and advertised the song for their large followings.
Less than a week after its release, drivers license became the number 1 song worldwide. As of January 11, it was topping the Apple Music, Spotify, and iTunes charts. It’s broken multiple Spotify records, beating Ariana Grande’s thank u, next for Most Streams in a Single Day by a Female Artist, and Drake’s Nonstop for the all-time record for most single-day streams of any song in US Spotify history.
It’s even earned the attention of Taylor Swift, one of the star’s biggest influences. On a post about Rodrigo’s iTunes chart placement at the time (directly below Swift’s bonus tracks), Swift commented on Rodrigo’s Instagram post “I say that’s my baby and I’m really proud,” a quote initially by Taylor’s mother, Andrea Swift, that became a meme in 2017.
The song is “rumoured” (although it is fairly clear) to be about Rodrigo’s Disney love interest Joshua Bassett. As Rodrigo sings, “I just can’t imagine how you could be so okay now that I’m gone. Guess you didn’t mean what you wrote in that song about me – you said forever, now I drive alone past your street.”
But the clear jab at her co-Disney star is about his new girlfriend, Girl Meets World actress and singer Sabrina Carpenter. As Rodrigo says, “You’re probably with that blonde girl / who always made me doubt / she’s so much older than me/she’s everything I’m insecure about.”
A clear reference to the blonde 21-year-old (4 years older than Rodrigo), the song must refer to Bassett – a reference he didn’t quite pick up on. Shortly after she released drivers license, Bassett advertised the song on his Instagram story!
Rodrigo is following in the footsteps of her mentor, the lyrical genius Taylor Swift. Many have already begun comparing drivers license to Taylor’s countless songs about past romantic relationships. Moreover, much like Swift’s early albums Taylor Swift and Fearless, Rodrigo is writing profound, meaningful lyrics at a young age.
So, is Olivia Rodrigo going to be the next Taylor Swift? I think so, but we’ll have to wait for her to drop the album to be sure. Until then, be sure to check out Rodrigo’s sneak peeks on her Instagram account – my favourite is “Pay Grade,” so give these songs a listen!
