Filipino American Olivia Rodrigo is a 17-year-old singer-songwriter currently topping every major streaming chart with her debut single “Drivers License.”
Early “Song of the Year” contender: Written by Rodrigo and produced by Dan Nigro, who has collaborated with Conan Gray, the sentimental ballad tackles the plight of a heartbroken girl who drives past her former love’s home after finally receiving her driver’s license.
- “When I came up with ‘Driver’s License,’ I was going through a heartbreak that was so confusing to me, so multifaceted,” Rodrigo told Billboard. “Putting all those feelings into a song made everything seem so much simpler and clearer — and at the end of the day, I think that’s really the whole purpose of songwriting. There’s nothing like sitting at the piano in my bedroom and writing a really sad song. It’s truly my favorite thing in the world.”
- Rolling Stone has already called the debut single an early contender for “Song of the Year”: ”Like Swift, Lorde, and all their heroes before them, Rodrigo is able to create something moving and relatable without losing the unique specificity of her storytelling that makes you feel like you’re watching a movie of her life play out in your earbuds.”
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Up in the charts: Just a few days after its release on Jan. 8, the single made its swift climb to No. 1 on the U.S. iTunes Top 100 chart, Apple Music’s Top 100: Global chart, and Spotify’s Global Top 100.
- The official music video for the track has been viewed over 14 million times so far.
- Rodrigo has been sharing her excitement over the song’s success on social media.
- “So drivers license is the number one song in the world rn. never in my wildest dreams did I expect this. thank u guys so much for listening. I can’t believe this is real life,” she wrote on Instagram.
Rodrigo first showed off her songwriting abilities and vocal talent as one of the main characters of “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.” She is set to release her first EP later this year, Variety reports.
Feature Image via Olivia Rodrigo (Left), @olivia.rodrigo (Right)
