Disney Channel star Olivia Rodrigo released her debut single, “Drivers License,” just two weeks ago. But since then, this pop anthem of teen heartbreak and pining has become one of the biggest hits in the world. 

17 year old Rodrigo, who is best known for her role in the Disney+ original series “High School Musical the Musical the Series,” had previously only released music through the soundtrack of this show, such as the RIAA certified gold hit, “All I Want.” However, in the year and a half since this show’s debut, Rodrigo has been focusing on her own music. She first teased “Drivers License” last summer with an Instagram post captioned “Wrote dis the other day. vv close to my heart. gonna call it drivers license I think lol.” After sharing snippets of the song for several months, Rodrigo announced her debut release on January 4. 

The power ballad is an ode to teenage love and heartbreak, following Rodrigo as she drives through the suburbs, reminiscing on a past relationship and processing the raw pain of seeing her ex move on. The song’s success lies in its relatable and genuine lyrical content, as she pines for someone who no longer loves her back. The soft verses, emotional, sweeping chorus, and powerful bridge give listeners a space to sink into their feelings, and the sound has prompted comparisons to stars like Lorde, Adele, Billie Eilish, and Taylor Swift. Many fans have speculated that the heartbreak anthem is about Rodrigo’s ex-boyfriend and “High School Musical the Musical the Series” co-star Joshua Bassett. These theories surrounding “Drivers License” have helped build the songs’ hype as millions of people have been drawn into the drama by lyrics that seem to refer to Bassett’s new girlfriend, Sabrina Carpenter, such as “And you’re probably with that blonde girl / who always made me doubt / she’s so much older than me / she’s everything I’m insecure about.” When asked if these rumors have any truth, Rodrigo said the song is “resonating with people because of how emotional it is, and I think everything else is not important.” 

“Drivers License” became the first massive hit of 2021 almost instantly upon its January 8th release, receiving much critical acclaim from music lovers across the globe. Critics have praised her lyrical honesty and the song’s highly emotional production, and fans have shown support by trending “Drivers License” and “Olivia” on Twitter and making the song go viral on TikTok, where over 1 million videos have been posted using the song as of January 21st. 

The emotional ballad saw extreme success in its first week, receiving 76.1 million streams and 38,000 U.S. downloads and rising to Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Global 200, and Global Excluding US charts. Spotify executives were shocked by Rodrigo’s unprecedented success as “Drivers License” broke the record for most global daily streams for a non-holiday song on the Monday after its release with over 15.17 million streams. Then Rodrigo outdid herself again on Tuesday, breaking her previous record with 17.01 million streams. The head of Spotify’s Global Hits, Becky Bass, said in an interview with Billboard that “we’ve never seen anything like this, where you have a newer artist that just comes out of the gate in such a dominant way, and just continues to grow.” And two weeks later, “Drivers License” is still growing. 

Other musicians have taken notice of Olivia Rodrigo on social media, including stars like Cardi B, Halsey, Niall Horan, Kevin and Joe Jonas, and (most excitingly for the self-proclaimed “huge Swiftie”) Taylor Swift. The Evermore singer commented that she was “really proud” on Rodrigo’s Instagram post the week after the song’s release. 

The success of “Drivers License” perhaps came as the biggest surprise for Olivia Rodrigo herself. In a recent interview, she said that “It’s quite insane… I didn’t really expect it to chart or do anything … so the fact that it’s No. 1 in the world right now is absolutely mind-blowing. I can’t believe any of it.” “Drivers License” is the first song on her upcoming debut EP that is expected to be released early this year, and the whole world will be listening eagerly for whatever the young star does next. 

Abbey Road Documentary Announced

Live Nation has acquired a majority stake in the new ticketed live stream service company, Veeps, which rolled out in 2020. For the past year there have been hardly any live concerts due to the global pandemic. Instead, artists have been performing live stream shows for their fans, so that they can still enjoy their music from the comfort of their own homes and adhere to social distancing mandates. 

Founded by Joel and Benji Madden, Sherry Saeedi and Kyle Heller, who will remain as heads of operations along with their teams. In addition to continuing with live stream concerts, Live Nation will be able to utilize Veeps when in person concerts start again by providing fans with exclusive content, new vantage points, sold out shows and access to events all around the world by using Live Nation’s network to connect with fans. 

This partnership will likely allow fans to buy live stream tickets to shows they are unable to attend in person as well as virtual meet and greets with artists. This new purchase essentially provides Live Nation concerts with unlimited capacity to help people enjoy even more live music than they could before.  

2021 Grammy’s Postponed

This year, instead of hosting the typical concerts, parades, and balls, the Biden Inauguration Committee has prepared a star-studded lineup of musical performances to ring in the historic administration. Countless artists across all genres have come together to create a week of virtual and in-person events to celebrate this new era of American politics and unity. Most festivities are being held online due to COVID-19 restrictions, and all are subject to change due to uncertainty in D.C. following the riots at the US Capitol on January 6th. 

The Biden inauguration celebration began this past Sunday with the We the People virtual concert. This event, which was hosted to raise money for the Biden Inauguration Committee, included performances from a variety of artists including Fall Out Boy, AJR, Carole King, Will.I.Am, James Taylor, and more. This concert was followed by the United We Serve celebration on Monday, January 18th, to honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which featured musicians such as Aloe Blacc, Diane Warren, Andra Day, and Yo-Yo Ma. You can watch this event here. 

The eve of Joe Biden’s inauguration will feature the We Are One YouTube event to celebrate black community and creatives, with appearances from Tobe Nwigwe, DJ D-Nice, Rapsody, and more. Tuesday will also host the Latino Inaugural Event, where musicians like Ivy Queen, Becky G, and Los Tigres del Norte will honor the Latino community’s involvement in Joe Biden’s historic election. You can watch these performances on Peacock, Telemundo’s app and website, and any Univision News digital platform.  

The Biden administration announced on Thursday that Lady Gaga, who has been vocally supportive of the democratic party throughout the 2020 campaign, has been given the distinguished job of performing the national anthem at the Biden inauguration. This will be followed by musical performances from Jennifer Lopez and Garth Brooks, who is returning to the D.C. stage after Obama’s swearing-in in 2012. This ceremony will be live-streamed on the Biden Inauguration website, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Twitch on Wednesday, January 20th starting at 9am PST. 

To close out the week’s celebrations and ring in the new administration, Tom Hanks will be hosting Celebrating America on Wednesday evening on ABC, CNN, NBC, CBS, and MSNBC. This event will feature performances from Demi Lovato, Bruce Springsteen, Justin Timberlake, John Legend, Jon Bon Jovi, the Foo Fighters, and more, and intends to “celebrate our country’s rich diversity and resilience,” according to Bruce Springsteen on Twitter.

2021 Grammy’s Postponed