Olivia Rodrigo struck up fresh listeners and rumors after her debut single “drivers license” was released.
Rodrigo is mostly known for her Disney roles in Bizaardvark and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (HSMTMTS). However, her first significant role was in an American Girl movie called “An American Girl: Grace Stirs Up Success” at the mere age of 12 in 2015.
Even though Rodrigo is an actress, she is also a songwriter. She claims to have been songwriting since she was little, and she wrote some of the songs in HSMTMTS, which is where her singing career started. Rodrigo signed with Interscope Records and Geffen Records, which led her to release her first song, “drivers license.”
“I personally think she’s an amazing actor, singer, songwriter, and role model,” said freshman Chloe Chun. “She’s around our age, so to know that she made a song so beautiful and successful is very inspiring.”
People have very different views on whether the song is deserving of all the recognition it is receiving or not. Some feel the song is a fantastic masterpiece filled with emotions and deep thought.
“I took a video of my first reaction, and I was in tears,” said freshman Anisha Singh. “She is so good at portraying her emotions through the way she sings, and I think that is one of the main reasons this song resonates with so many people.”
I loved it, just thought it’s a little overplayed. — Maile Firenze
On the other hand, some people feel it is overplayed and overhyped.
“I don’t get why everyone was listening to this new song so much,” said sophomore Aristea Cottereau. “I don’t really like the rhythm of the song. I like the lyrics, but I don’t think it deserves all the hype everyone gives it.”
One thing that drew many people to Rodrigo’s song is the rumors circulating about the relationship of Olivia Rodrigo and her co-star, Joshua Bassett from HSMTMTS. This theory came after Rodrigo dropped many clues in her newly released music video.
“I think ‘driver’s license’ is about the pain you feel after losing someone you love and watching them fall in love with someone else,” Chun said. “Throughout the song, she discusses how she can’t get past the places she used to go with that special person because it’s painful for her to experience.”
Bassett taught Rodrigo how to drive, and in the first line of her song, she said, “I got my driver’s license last week, just like we always talked about.”
She plays a keyboard in the show HSMTMTS where she sings songs about the character Bassett plays, and she uses the same keyboard in the music video. In another clip, viewers saw her wearing the same jacket Bassett wore on the show.
Some proof used for the rumor is in her line, “And you’re probably with that blonde girl, who always made me doubt,” where she hints at Joshua Bassett and Sabrina Carpenter’s relationship. Previously, people rumored that Carpenter was the girl next to Basset in his newest song, “Lie.”
“I think it’s about a girl, Olivia, going through a breakup, and the guy she was with moved on to another girl,” Cottereau said. “A lot of the song is her comparing herself to that girl and wondering why she isn’t good enough for him.”
The next line reads “She’s so much older than me; she’s everything I’m insecure about.” People took this as a massive clue because Sabrina Carpenter is 21, Joshua Bassett is 20, and Olivia Rodrigo is 17.
Sabrina Carpenter made it very clear in her own song, “Skin” that she knew Rodrigo was singing about Bassett and Carpenter’s relationship, so she responded with lyrics such as “don’t drive yourself insane,” which mimics Rodrigo’s song topic about driving.
Writing about heartbreak in such a vulnerable and emotional form is something that takes a lot of strength. Olivia is talented for that reason, and it’s so clear that she has many amazing things ahead of her. — Anisha Singh
Based on social media, most people have sided with Rodrigo because her song is heartbreaking, moving, and emotional.
“I think she’s super talented and bound to become big in the music industry just based on this song,” said sophomore Maile Firenze.
