No red lights for Olivia Rodrigo’s newest single “drivers license”

Olivia Rodrigo is the up and coming indie-pop singer-songwriter to keep an eye on. After releasing the single “drivers license” in preparation for her debut album, Rodrigo has bolstered in popularity. 

In just three hours after its release, the music video for the single surpassed 100,000 views, the phrase “Olivia Rodrigo” began trending on Twitter worldwide, and the new merchandise on her website almost completely sold out. When it debuted “drivers license”’s its music video hit Top 3 on iTunes and it is it’s number one single right now.

Many Twitter accounts are stating that Rodrigo is “the next Taylor Swift,” or that she’s “the child of Taylor Swift and Lorde.”  Her Twitter account has skyrocketed since the release, her follower count rising from 135,000 to over 150,000 in just twelve hours.

Rodrigo herself stated on Youtube Live leading up to her music video’s release that the song was heavily influenced by the style of the artist Gracie Abrams, and that much of her original music is inspired by other artists including Swift and Lorde.

In the past, Rodrigo has alluded to being a “Swiftie” (what the Swift fandom calls themselves) and has even been recognized by Swift via her cover of “Cruel Summer,” a hit from Swift’s album “Lover.” Then, on January 10th, Swift commented once more on one of Rodrigo’s instagram posts about Rodrigo sitting next to Swift on the top charts.

The song “drivers license” itself is a whirlwind of emotion, causing the listener to reminisce over past loves that they very well may never have even experienced themselves personally. However, Rodrigo can make them feel as though they have. 

Rodrigo is the queen of writing beautiful songs over heartbreak, as this is her second top hit on the subject, following “All I Want,” which went viral on Tik Tok back in late 2019. “All I Want,” is certified Gold and has surpassed 187,000,000 streams since its release in late November of 2019. 

She is a personable and relatable artist, from writing casual letters dedicated to her fans for her website to continuously staying humble through her success. 

Talent courses through this 17 year-old’s veins and there is no doubt that she will be successful throughout her journey in the music industry. At this rate, Rodrigo has a very promising future in the music industry, as her innovation continues to exceed expectations with every new project she releases. 

Keep an eye out for her debut album pending a release date!

Here are some fun facts about the release of “drivers license:” 

1. The beeping noises at the beginning of the song are sounds from Rodrigo’s mom’s car.
2. Despite being on a Disney contract, Rodrigo has been allowed to release this song with explicit content.
3. Rodrigo challenged herself to write a song per day in quarantine, starting all the way back in March. This song started as a fifteen minute piano sesh’ via that challenge.
4. This single was first posted as an unreleased original to Rodrigo’s Instagram on July 23rd, 2020.
5. The screams in the background of the song are voice memos Rodrigo recorded in her car.
6. In her Instagram live, Rodrigo stated that the first line she wrote for this single was “I knew we weren’t perfect, but I never felt this way for no one, and I just can’t imagine that you could be so okay now that I’m gone.”