Olivia Rodrigo's rise to fame: From Disney Channel to a world tour
Her latest song is on the Hunger Games soundtrack
Olivia Rodrigo is best-known for her hits 'Drivers License', 'Good 4 U' and 'Vampire', she also writes her own songs AND is a talented actress. The singer, whose most recent song is called 'Can't Catch Me Now', from the Hunger Games prequel, has also announced her 'Guts World Tour' for 2024. The singer also won her first ever BRIT back in 2022 for 'Good 4 U', is there any stopping her?
Now that the singer has released her second album 'Guts', we thought we'd get to know her a bit better. With Olivia just 21-years-old, find out what she's already achieved! Look no further, here's everything you need to know about Olivia Rodrigo...
How old is Olivia Rodrigo?
Despite having a number of awards and Top 10 songs to her name, Olivia is only 21-years-old! The singer celebrated her 21st birthday in February 2024.
The day after her 21st birthday, Olivia shared some pics and a video from her special day, including a throwback pic from her childhood. In the last photo she can be seen wearing a homemade birthday crown that says 'Olivia is... Happy Birthday' on it.
What is her documentary called, and how can I watch it?
Olivia Rodrigo's documentary is called driving home 2 u, and was released on 25th March 2022. The programme can be watched on Disney+, and it follows the singer on the 'making of' journey of her debut Number 1 album 'Sour'.
Watch the driving home 2 u trailer below:
Who are her most famous fans?
It comes as no surprise that Olivia has attracted some very famous fans. One celeb who seemed to have a pretty big fan moment was French DJ David Guetta! In an Instagram post the DJ, who released 'Titanium' with Sia, shared a video of 10-year-old Olivia singing his song.
He said: '@oliviarodrigo singing my song when she was 10! Now I’m making bootleg remixes of her music to play in my djs set. Life is amazing and I love that we keep inspiring each other 🥰🤗😀'. (sic)
Has Olivia Rodrigo won a Grammy Award?
Olivia won three Grammys in 2022, and she also performed at the prestigious award ceremony. The singer won Best Pop Vocal Album for 'Sour', Best New Artist, and Best Pop Solo Performance for 'driver's license'. In the category of Best Pop Vocal Album, she was up against Ariana Grande, Doja Cat, Billie Eilish and Justin Bieber.
The singer also shared a video of herself performing her hit 'drivers license' at the Grammys, where the set included a car on stage with a backdrop of a road.
Olivia was nominated for six Grammy awards at the 2024 ceremony. 'Guts' was nominated in the Album Of The Year and Best Pop Vocal Album categories, whilst Olivia was up for Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for 'Vampire'. Meanwhile, 'Ballad Of A Homeschooled Girl' was in the running for Best Rock Song.
Olivia also performed her track 'Vampire' at the Grammy Awards in 2024.
When did Olivia Rodrigo release her second album?
Olivia's second album 'Guts' was released on 8th September 2023. Announcing her album earlier in 2023, Olivia wrote: 'my sophomore album GUTS comes out september 8th. i am so proud of this record and I can’t wait to share it with you all! u can presave it now! xoxoxoxo❤️💜💌🖤.' (sic)
On the second anniversary of her debut album, Olivia said: 'oh man oh man oh man. SOUR turns 2 years old today. no words could ever describe how much this album means to me and how insanely grateful I feel for every blessing it has brought into my life. the new stuff is so so so so so close to being done I pinky promise 💓'. (sic)
Back in March 2022, Olivia told Elle: "I’m definitely not as sad as I was when I wrote 'Sour'. I’m so excited to make my next record and explore more colours and textures and feelings and grow as a human being even more. I’m really stoked for that."
Then in August 2022, her songwriting collaborator Dan Nigro shared a selfie of the pair, sparking rumours that they were back in the studio working on new material.
In January 2023, Olivia posted an Instagram Story showing her with Dan. In the video, the pair were head-banging to some piano chords, with the words: 'working on so many new songs I'm excited to show u! thank u for everything 💘'.
She also posted a photo of herself in a recording studio the day before her 20th birthday, writing: '2day is my last day of being a teenage dirtbag😎,' leading many fans to take to the comments and share their excitement for new music.
Olivia opened up in a For The Record interview with us, she told us about how she came up with the idea for 'Vampire', and how it felt writing 'Guts' after the success of her debut album 'Sour'.
'Sour'
Olivia released her debut album 'Sour' in 2021, and since its release it's done phenomenally well winning the singer several awards. In January 2024, the album became the first studio album in history to have EVERY track surpass 300 million streams on Spotify!
What is Olivia Rodrigo's latest song?
Olivia has released 'Can't Catch Me Now'. It was released on 3rd November 2023 and features on the soundtrack for the Hunger Games movie called The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.
When is Olivia Rodrigo on tour?
Olivia has now announced her 'Guts World Tour'. The tour will see her performing five UK dates, along with one in Dublin. She will be supported by Remi Wolf, an American singer/songwriter.
Did Olivia Rodrigo perform with Avril Lavigne?
While touring across North America in 2022, fans loved Olivia's rendition of 2002 hit 'Complicated' by Avril Lavigne. To fans' surprise, the 'Sk8r Boi' singer joined Olivia on stage at her Toronto gig on 29th April 2022 to perform the song.
Watch Olivia Rodrigo and Avril Lavigne perform 'Complicated:
What was Olivia Rodrigo's set list?
The set list for Olivia's 'Sour' tour is below.
'Brutal'
'Jealousy, Jealousy'
'Drivers License'
'Complicated' (Avril Lavigne cover)
'Hope Ur OK'
'Enough for You' / '1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back' (Medley)
'Happier'
'Seether' (Veruca Salt cover)
'Favorite Crime'
'Traitor'
'Deja Vu'
'Good 4 U'
Olivia teams up with Sony for special edition LinkBuds
LinkBuds S x Olivia Rodrigo have now been announced! Olivia revealed the exciting news on her socials telling her fans that they are available for presale now. She also told her fans that she had fun designing the earbuds which are purple, Olivia's signature colour.
Does Olivia Rodrigo have a health condition?
In a video with Vogue, as Olivia was preparing for the Met Gala, she revealed that she has synaesthesia, a neurological condition where a person's senses are interconnected. In Olivia's case she says: "I also have minor, baby synaesthesia, so when I listen to songs I'll see colours."
According to the UK Synaesthesia Association: 'Synaesthesia is a truly fascinating condition. In its simplest form it is best described as a "union of the senses" whereby two or more of the five main senses that are normally experienced separately are involuntarily and automatically joined together.
'Some synaesthetes experience colour when they hear sounds or read words. Others experience tastes, smells, shapes or touches in almost any combination. These sensations are automatic and cannot be turned on or off. Synaesthesia isn’t a disease or illness and is not at all harmful. In fact, the vast majority of synaesthetes couldn’t imagine life without it.'
Speaking about the health condition, Olivia explained: "Lots of the songs on 'Sour' are purple. 'Drivers License' is purple, but 'Good 4 U' is like a purpley-blue. 'Jealousy, Jealousy' is a bright red, 'Deja Vu' is like orange and pink and light purple.
"I like having purple as the cohesive colour throughout my whole 'Sour' era."
Is Olivia Rodrigo still in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series?
Despite Olivia having a main role in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, it was confirmed in July 2022 that season three was the singer/actress' last. Olivia's role was phased out throughout the third season, with show creator/showrunner Tim Federle saying: "I think she's ready to explore the world outside the halls of East High."
He continued: "Olivia herself was having such a monumental explosion in the music industry that it felt like the right thing to, frankly, work with Olivia to say, 'How do we get you out there into the world with us taking a little bit more of a backseat?', which we were all proud to do to support her.
"This season it's about trying to give her character a proper send-off while also leaving room for other characters to really step into the fray and step into the spotlight."
What was Olivia's first audition?
Olivia was just six-years-old when she did her first audition. The audition was for Parenthood, but she didn't get the part.
Now check out her incredible career timeline and rise to fame:
2016 - Olivia played Paige Olvera in Bizaardvark
Disney Channel series Bizaardvark starred Olivia as Paige Olvera, one of two best friends who post funny songs and videos on the internet. Olivia appeared in three series of the TV show between 2016 and 2018.
2019 - Olivia stars in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series
Back in 2019, Olivia took on the main role of Nini Salazar-Roberts, a musical theatre enthusiast, in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. Olivia also wrote the song 'All I Want' for the TV show.
2021 - Olivia released 'Drivers License'
'Drivers License' was Olivia's first single and it went to Number 1 around the world. The song, which was written by Olivia and Dan Nigro, has been nominated for many awards including two MTV Video Music Awards which it won for Song of the Year and Push Performance of the Year. The song has also been nominated for three Grammy Awards for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance.
2021 - Olivia released 'Deja Vu'
Olivia's second single 'Deja Vu' was another commercial success. Again, the song was written by Olivia along with Dan Nigro. Taylor Swift and two other songwriters also get a songwriting credit as it interpolates Taylor's song 'Cruel Summer'.
2021 - Olivia released 'Good 4 U'
Once again, a song co-written by Olivia had commercial success. 'Good 4 U' was nominated for several awards, including a Grammy Award for Best Music Video.
2021 - Olivia meets Presient Joe Biden
Olivia Rodrigo met with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. The singer was involved with efforts to promote Covid-19 vaccinations with young people in the US.
2021 - Olivia is nominated for seven Grammy awards
Olivia Rodrigo received seven Grammy nominations including four in the big categories, best album, best new artist, record of the year and song of the year, for 'Drivers License'.
In response to her nominations, Olivia took to Instagram saying: 'woke up this morning to 7 Grammy nominations. when I was younger, my family lived a few blocks from the staples center, where the Grammys took place every year. I would always walk outside the arena and look at the plaques on the ground with all the winners names in wide eyed wonder. i went to the Grammy museum so many of my free weekends bc I was so fascinated by the history of the show and all of the incredible musicians that made it up. many dreams have come true for me this year but this one is probably the most meaningful. thank you to everyone who has believed in me and supported the songs I write. and thank you to @recordingacademy for the recognition. I'm beyond humbled. truly a day I will never forget. so grateful aghhh❤️💜❤️💜' (sic)
2022 - Olivia wins her first BRIT Award
A year after making her debut UK performance at The BRIT Awards 2021, Olivia picked up her very first BRIT win! At The BRIT Awards 2022 with Mastercard, Olivia bagged herself the award for International Song of the Year, for her track 'Good 4 U'.
2022 - Olivia Rodrigo won three Grammys
In 2022, Olivia also won three Grammy awards, Best Pop Vocal Album for 'Sour', Best New Artist and Best Pop Solo Performance for 'driver's license'.
The singer also performed at the prestigious awards ceremony.
2022 - Olivia reflects on one year since 'Sour' release
Olivia Rodrigo took to Instagram one year on from the release of her debut album 'Sour' to reflect on her amazing achievements and thank fans for their support. She also shared a video, where she said: "This past year, it's been a lot of career milestones, but I'm freshly 19 and there's so many things that I'm learning and just normal teenage milestones that I'm going through."
2022 - High School Musical TV series confirms Olivia's exit
In July 2022, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series creator and showrunner Tim Federle confirmed that season three would be Olivia's last on the show, saying: "I think she's ready to explore the world outside the halls of East High."
He continued: "And Olivia herself was having such a monumental explosion in the music industry that it felt like the right thing to, frankly, work with Olivia to say, 'How do we get you out there into the world with us taking a little bit more of a backseat?', which we were all proud to do to support her."
Olivia's role will be phased out throughout the third season of the Disney+ show, with Tim adding: "This season it's about trying to give her character a proper send-off while also leaving room for other characters to really step into the fray and step into the spotlight."
2022 - The 'Sour Tour' comes to the UK
Olivia set out on her 'Sour Tour' in April 2022, with shows coming to the UK in July. First heading to Glasgow on 2nd, she then went to Manchester on 3rd and Birmingham on 4th, before rounding up her tour with two shows at London's Eventim Apollo on 6th and 7th.
2023 - Comeback song 'Vampire'
Olivia Rodrigo announced her comeback song 'Vampire' would be released on 30th June. Teasing the date on her socials, with a countdown on her website, the song was a certified hit upon it's release. Peaking at Number 2 in the UK Singles Chart, the song was also certified Silver in August 2023.
2023 - Olivia Rodrigo releases a song from The Hunger Games soundtrack
Olivia Rodrigo has now released her song 'Can't Catch Me Now', which features on the soundtrack for the upcoming prequel of The Hunger Games titled: The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.
2024 - Olivia Rodrigo receives two BRIT Award nominations
Olivia Rodrigo received two BRIT Award nominations when they were announced on Wednesday 24th January, she is up for International Artist of the Year, and International Song of The Year ('Vampire').
You can hear songs by Olivia Rodrigo on Hits Radio.
Read more:
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Olivia Rodrigo announces song for new Hunger Games film 🏹
Olivia Rodrigo reveals how an ice cream trip inspired 'Vampire' 🍦