If you’ve never heard of the name, Olivia Rodrigo, well, you are definitely going to know a lot more about her now!
The 17-year-old actress, who currently plays Nini Salazar-Roberts in the Disney+ original show High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (damn, what a mouth full!), released her debut single on Friday, January 8, titled Drivers License, along with a music video.
If you’re wondering why it may sound familiar, it’s because you’ve probably heard the smash hit all over your FYP on TikTok — featuring many videos of people literally sobbing over their exes with the bop in the background. It also has taken the world by storm (like, we are talking about demolishing chart records here, and Taylor Swift giving her a shout out), with its devastating lyrics and, of course, the rising star’s powerhouse vocals.
Related: Taylor Swift v. Scooter Braun: A Total Breakdown
Ch-ch-check out the aesthetic music video (below):
Since it’s release, though, rumors erupted over the song’s IRL drama on social media. Think along the lines of the massive love triangle between Hilary Duff/Lindsay Lohan/Aaron Carter in 2003 and Nick Jonas/Miley Cyrus/Selena Gomez in 2009. It’s essentially Gen-Z’s version of the Disney Channel’s romance drama.
Here’s everything you need to know about the song that everyone is obsessed over:
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Who Is Involved?
Olivia is the star on HSMTMTS alongside Joshua Bassett, who plays Ricky Bowen on the series. Similar to the original High School Musical couple, the pair were rumored to be dating in real life. More recently, though, the 20-year-old leading man was seen with Sabrina Carpenter, who first rose to fame on Disney’s Girl Meets World as Maya Hart.
What Allegedly Happened?
Back in August, Olivia posted a TikTok with the song All I Want in the background and captioned the video with, “And that’s on failed relationships.” Why is this significant? Well, the singer-songwriter wrote and sang the song about the actor’s character. When she posted the clip, it led fans to believe that the pair had split in 2020.
@livbedumband that’s on failed relationships♬ All I Want by Olivia Rodrigo – Alyssa Elness ????
In the newly released track, she mourns the end of a relationship as she drives through the streets of the suburbs after getting her license ( “just like we talked about”). For some context, a video recently resurfaced where Joshua was teaching her how to drive. In the lyrics, she also references two singles of his singles, Common Sense and Anyone Else, which he released last year, singing:
“I guess you didn’t mean what you wrote in that song about me.”
Now, here is where the plot thickens! After theories broke out that the former couple broke up, it was rumored that the musician was dating the 21-year-old singer/actress, Sabrina. While they haven’t confirmed the relationship (and we don’t know if they’ll want to after being dragged by fans from this piece), the rumored couple has been seen together in public and appeared on each other’s TikTok accounts. Most recently, they recreated a scene from The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl.
@sabrinacarpenterofficial audition tape for ##sharkboyandlavagirl 2 @joshuatbassett♬ original sound – Simply Rayne
In Drivers License, Olivia referenced a “blonde girl” who’s “so much older than [her]” and makes her feel insecure. Eagle-eye followers connected the dots to The Hate U Give actress, who is blonde and four years older than the hitmaker. Back in July, though, Bizaardvark alum posted a behind-the-scenes clip of her working on the song, using the indicator “brunette” instead of “blonde.”
What Was Joshua’s Response?
A couple of hours after Olivia announced the debut of the hit, Joshua revealed the release of his single, called Lie Lie Lie, which came out on January 14. Many people were quick to point out the subtle shade, especially when the image for the song featured him in a dimly lit car that’s similar to his co-star’s music video visual.
What Does Olivia Have To Say About The Song’s Inspo?
In a new Apple Music interview with Zane Lowe on Thursday, she claims the song came from “a place of emotion”:
“I was like driving around my neighborhood actually listening to really sad songs and like crying in the car and I got home and was like, ‘Maybe I’ll write a song about this, like crying in the car.’ So I just sat down at my piano and plucked out some chords that I liked.”
The young singer continued, expressing:
“It kind of happened that way but it was really like natural and organic, like, very much me writing in the depth of my emotion and I think that’s apparent.”
Of course, she didn’t say who inspired the song, but we pretty much know all the tea at this point.
Ch-ch-check out the full interview (below):
We’re absolutely living for all this DRAMA, and we cannot wait to see what else unfolds next!
Are U absolutely loving Drivers License as much as we are?? Do U think this song is about Joshua? Or not? Sound OFF in the comments (below)!
[Image via WENN/Avalon, Joshua Bassett/TikTok & Olivia Rodrigo/YouTube]
The post Have You Heard Olivia Rodrigo’s SMASH Hit <i>Driver’s License</i> This Week? Well, Here’s A Rundown Of All The Drama Surrounding It! appeared first on Perez Hilton.