PUBLISHED: JUNE 21, 2021

Olivia Rodrigo: The 18-year-old who became an overnight smash

Olivia Rodrigo went from an unknown to one of the hottest pop stars in the world after she released her debut solo single, pop ballad Drivers License, in January.

Within a week, the emotive heartbreak tune was breaking records.

TRUE: Rodrigo wrote the songs in her album, Sour, when she was 17.

Now 18, Rodrigo wrote the songs a year ago, fuelled by the confusion and drama of relationships and teenage life.

There was speculation that the lyrics of Drivers License were inspired by her relationship with actor Joshua Bassett and the appearance of a supposed third party, Sabrina Carpenter. “It is sort of just a slice of my 17-year-old life and about all of the sadness, anger, jealousy and insecurity I felt in that period of my life.” – Olivia Rodrigo

FALSE: Olivia Rodrigo is Japanese-American.

Rodrigo is not Japanese-American! She is Filipino-American.

TRUE: Olivia Rodrigo is a Disney actress.

Rodrigo started taking acting and singing lessons at age six, and made her television debut in a commercial at 12. She made her Disney debut a year later as an actress on comedy series Bizaardvark.

Staying true to herself and writing songs people could relate to possibly contributed to her overnight success… “I resonate with the song a lot, so it was cool to see other people resonate with that, no matter their age or gender.”

Hard work never fails…

Rodrigo said that for the first six months of the pandemic, she challenged herself to write a song every day. “That sort of was really an awesome exercise for me as a songwriter.”

Songwriting also does wonders for her mental health.

“Writing music is so therapeutic for me, there’s nothing like taking confusing feelings in your head and making a song about them. And the song makes the feelings so much simpler and more manageable.”

OLIVIA RODRIGO READ THE ARTICLE READ THE ARTICLE

SOURCE: st rEPORT BY Eddino Abdul Hadi; photos by geffen, universal music singapore, jm enternational, instagram/oliviarodrigo

PRODUCED BY: Charlene Chua MORE VISUAL STORIES MORE VISUAL STORIES