Olivia Rodrigo Celebrates the Anniversary of ‘Drivers License,’ the Breakup Song That Launched Her Music Career
Olivia Rodrigo is one of the biggest pop stars in the world right now, and it all started with her song “drivers license.” Rodrigo created an emotional social media post celebrating the one-year anniversary of her hit single. Here are the details of the track, including who it’s about and what Rodrigo said in her anniversary post.
‘Drivers license’ was Olivia Rodrigo’s first hit single
Olivia Rodrigo’s “drivers license” came out on Jan. 8, 2021, as the lead single from her debut studio album, Sour, which she released in May.
The breakup anthem is believed to be about her ex-boyfriend, Joshua Bassett, whom she worked with on the set of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. The song received critical acclaim, with fans and critics comparing Rodrigo’s songwriting and vocals to Taylor Swift and Lorde. “Drivers license” earned nominations for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance at the 2022 Grammy Awards.
The hit broke several records, including Spotify’s record for the most streams in a single day for a non-holiday song. The song spent eight weeks in the number one spot on the US Billboard Hot 100 and made Rodrigo the youngest person to debut at the top of the chart.
“Drivers license” is credited as the song that launched Rodrigo’s highly successful music career.
Olivia Rodrigo celebrated the 1-year anniversary of ‘Drivers License’
On Jan. 8, 2022, Rodrigo celebrated the one-year anniversary of her debut single by posting an emotional tribute on Instagram. She shared a black and white video of herself playing and singing the song.
“Happy first birthday to the little song that changed my whole life,” Rodrigo captioned the clip. “I made this video a day or two after I wrote drivers license in my living room (with a very squeaky sustain pedal lol).”
The singer went on to reflect on how much her life has changed since the single came out. “Crazy to think how quickly life changes. thank u to everyone who has supported me so tenderly. music is the most magical thing in the world. 💜💜💜”
The singer’s ex, Joshua Bassett, said he hasn’t spoken to her since the song came out
Joshua Bassett may have inspired Rodrigo’s first hit song, but he says he hasn’t spoken to his ex since “drivers license” came out.
On Dec. 3, Bassett opened up to GQ about the song Rodrigo wrote about him. “[She] hasn’t spoken to me since ‘drivers license’ came out,” Bassett claimed, although he said he has tried to get in touch with the “Brutal” singer.
Although he can’t reach Rodrigo, Bassett said his ex’s music is inescapable now. After achieving success with “drivers license” and Sour, Rodrigo’s songs are constantly playing everywhere he goes. “I would be on my way to sessions and I would hear two songs on the same station in one Uber ride,” he described.
Bassett also shared that he was in a coffee shop over the summer, and the staff started playing Rodrigo’s songs repeatedly until he left. He said one of the employees apologized when he returned to the shop a few days later.
