Drivers license might've launched Olivia Rodrigo's career out of the Disney kids' spotlight and into the big leagues, but that doesn't mean the 18-year-old is happy about the reputation surrounding the hit track. Here's what she had to say in a recent tell-all interview.
Remember when drivers license came out and the internet freaked out? It was obviously for or a variety of (very valid) reasons: firstly, the song is a total banger, and secondly, rumors flew about who the track is about. People mainly speculated that the hit referred to Rodrigo's High School Musical: The Musical: The Series castmate Joshua Bassett and that another Disney actress, Sabrina Carpenter, was "that blonde girl."
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And apparently, Olivia has some hard feelings about it. "I put it out not knowing that it would get that reaction, so it was really strange [when] it did. I just remember [everyone being] so weird and speculative about stuff they had no idea about," Olivia told Variety. "I don't really subscribe to hating other women because of boys. I think that's so stupid, and I really resent that narrative that was being tossed around."
Despite her girl-power mentality, the speculations around the song along with the catchy tune led the track to Billboard's Hot 100 chart. And according to the singer, she did not expect that kind of hype. "I was sitting in a grocery store parking lot, and I called my A&R guy. It had just gone number 1 on Apple Music, which is hard for a pop act to do," Rodrigo recalled.
"We were looking at each other on FaceTime, speechless, and just stared at each other for a minute. 'What do we do?' 'I don't know,'" she continued. "That was the moment that I knew that it was going to be something bigger than I expected." But it wasn't long before Olivia and her team decided what had to be done next: release an album, obviously! Following her breakthrough into the charts, the performer's Sour record was released in May of 2021.
Sour is filled with all of the breakup anthems we've come to love. "I definitely talked about my deepest, darkest secrets and insecurities on Sour - which is sort of strange to be like, 'Here, you guys can have this. Anyone who wants to listen to it can listen to it,'" starlet reflected. "But it's really empowering when it comes out." Yas girl, we feel empowered jamming out to it all day, every day.
Need more of Ms. Rodrigo? Read all about the pop star's rise to fame.
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