Fans Revisit Olivia Rodrigo’s Big Bang Entry Into the Music Industry on the 4-Year Anniversary of ‘Drivers License'

Published 01/08/2025, 2:04 AM EST

Back in 2021, Olivia Rodrigo became the youngest artist to debut at number one on the charts. And she was the rare artist to pull it off with her very first single, ‘Drivers License’. The single spent eight weeks at the top of the charts and catapulted her to the top of the pop stratosphere. Soon, she went from a fresh face to a Saturday Night Live cast with a sketch dedicated to her song and a performance.

As the single hit its fourth anniversary today, Rodrigo’s fans dove back into the ballad. ‘Drivers License’ told the story of a high school breakup with a partner with whom she built many dreams. The mysterious backstory only fueled even more attention—particularly around her love life. The rumor mill went wild upon the release and fans scoured the lyrics for clues about whether or not they held real meaning.

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Sure, Rodrigo never explicitly confirmed it, but everyone was convinced that the Disney graduate had a thing with fellow High School Musical: The Musical: The Series star Joshua Bassett before he supposedly moved on to Sabrina Carpenter, another pop sensation climbing her own stardom ladder. But beyond the endless gossip, ‘Drivers License’ cemented its place in the hearts of fans—especially Gen Z—when it became the center of a viral TikTok trend. In fact, many believe TikTok played a huge role in fast-tracking Rodrigo’s rise to fame.

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Four years later, fans are still celebrating Olivia Rodrigo’s massive impact on the pop scene and her iconic debut single. 

Fans fondly recall Olivia Rodrigo’s epic debut

Where there is stardom, there is controversy. Olivia Rodrigo, since her very first release, was reported to having feuds with many of her peers. From rumors about a feud with her current big competition Sabrina Carpenter to speculation that her song ‘Vampire’ was aimed at Taylor Swift, drama seems to follow Rodrigo around like a shadow. Even on the fourth anniversary of ‘Drivers License’, fans are still going at it. While it is sure exhausting, at least Rodrigo’s fans think she is leagues above everyone else.

Meanwhile, the rest of the fans were just enjoying how that moment, when Rodrigo debuted in 2021, completely shifted the music landscape.

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Since the release of 'Drivers License,' Rodrigo has gone on to achieve incredible success. She has won three Grammy Awards, seven Billboard Music Awards, and four MTV Video Music Awards. And with the re-release of her second album, 'Brooklyn,' about to drop soon, fans are excited to see Rodrigo’s star only shining brighter in 2025 as well. 

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What do you think about fans' celebration of 'Drivers License'? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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Hriddhi Maitra

2116 articles

Hriddhi Maitra is a Hollywood News reporter at Netflix Junkie. An enthusiastic movie buff, Hriddhi found her true calling when she worked as a Cinema Content Writer at My Cinema Story while analyzing movies objectively, and offering constructive feedback. Coming from a background where she worked in different niches like finance, food, travel, medicines, automobile, and entertainment, we can safely say she is a jack of all trades.

Edited By: Aliza Siddiqui

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