drivers licence

“drivers license” is the debut single from 17-year-old American actress and singer Olivia Rodrigo who took the world and TikTok by storm since its release back in January 2021. Written by Rodrigo and producer and songwriter Daniel Nigro (who also produced the song), “drivers license” is a slow indie-pop ballad about heartbreak for a past lover who encouraged Rodrigo to get her license.

Rodrigo rose to fame thanks to her role in the Disney+ 2019 mockumentary series “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series”, where she sung an original song to the soundtrack titled “All I Want”, which went on the be certified Gold in the US. Rodrigo later signed to Geffen Records with intention of releasing a debut EP in 2021. Speaking to Uproxx.com in January 2021, Rodrigo revealed the origins of “drivers licence”:

“When I came up with ‘drivers license’, I was going through a heartbreak that was so confusing to me, so multifaceted. Putting all those feelings into a song made everything seem so much simpler and clearer—and at the end of the day, I think that’s the whole purpose of songwriting. There’s nothing like sitting at the piano in my bedroom and writing a really sad song. It’s truly my favorite thing in the world.”

The music video was directed by Matthew Dillon Cohen, and was released to Rodrigo’s official YouTube channel on the 8th January 2021. The video shows Rodrigo driving alone at night, playing a toy piano and singing in parking lots, while memories of a past lover are reflected and projected on walls via the forms of videos and texts. As of the end of March 2021, the video has almost 166 million views with over 5.6 million likes.

Release Date: 8th January 2021

“drivers license” is certified:

– Platinum in Australia
– Gold in Belgium
– 2 x Platinum in Canada
– Gold in Italy
– Platinum in New Zealand
– Gold in Poland
– Gold in Portugal
– Gold in Spain
– Platinum in Switzerland
– Gold in the UK
– 2x Platinum in the US

The lyrics to “drivers license” can be accessed here: LINK