Olivia Rodrigo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Olivia Rodrigo
Rodrigo performing in 2024
Born	Olivia Isabel Rodrigo (2003-02-20) February 20, 2003 (age 22) Murrieta, California, U.S.
Occupation	Singer songwriter actress
Years active	2010–present
Works	Discography songs performances
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Genres	Pop rock alternative
Instruments	Vocals piano guitar
Labels	Geffen
Signature

Olivia Isabel Rodrigo (born February 20, 2003) is a popular American singer, songwriter, and actress. She first became famous for her roles on Disney Channel's Bizaardvark (2016–2019) and Disney+'s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (2019–2022).

Olivia then focused on her music career. In 2021, she released her first single, "Drivers License". This song quickly became number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and made her known around the world. Her first album, Sour (2021), came out that May. It featured another number-one song, "Good 4 U", and helped her win three Grammy Awards. A documentary about her album, Olivia Rodrigo: Driving Home 2 U, was released in 2022. The next year, she released her second album, Guts (2023).

So far, Olivia Rodrigo has had three number-one songs on the Billboard Hot 100. She also has two number-one albums on the Billboard 200 chart. Many of her songs have sold millions of copies. She has won many awards, including an American Music Award and several Billboard Music Awards. Time magazine named her Entertainer of the Year in 2021. Billboard called her Woman of the Year in 2022. She was also named "Songwriter of the Year" twice by ASCAP Pop Music Awards.

Early Life and Beginnings

Olivia Isabel Rodrigo was born on February 20, 2003, in Murrieta, California. Her mother, Jennifer, is a school teacher, and her father, Chris, is a family therapist. Olivia is an only child. She grew up in Temecula, a town near Murrieta. Olivia was born with partial hearing loss in her left ear.

Olivia is half-Filipina. Her grandparents and great-grandparents on her father's side came from the Philippines. Her family enjoys Filipino traditions and food. Her mother has German and Irish family roots. Growing up, Olivia listened to her parents' favorite alternative rock bands. These included No Doubt, Pearl Jam, and Green Day.

Olivia went to Lisa J. Mails Elementary School. There, she joined an after-school musical theater program. When she was five, her parents enrolled her in vocal lessons. Her teacher helped her enter local singing contests. She also started taking acting lessons. At age nine, Olivia began piano lessons. She became interested in songwriting after listening to country music by Taylor Swift. By age 12, she was playing the guitar. Her first appearance on screen was in an Old Navy commercial in 2010, when she was seven.

Career Highlights

Early Acting Roles

In 2015, at age twelve, Olivia Rodrigo started her acting career. She played the main character, Grace Thomas, in the movie An American Girl: Grace Stirs Up Success. She went to Dorothy McElhinney Middle School for one year. Then, she moved to Los Angeles for an acting role.

In 2016, she joined the Disney Channel show Bizaardvark. She played Paige Olvera, a guitarist, for three seasons. From then on, she was homeschooled until she graduated in 2021.

In February 2019, Olivia was chosen for the main role of Nini Salazar-Roberts. This was for the Disney+ series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. The show started in November 2019. People praised her acting, calling her "especially magnetic." For the show, Olivia wrote and sang the song "All I Want". This song was released in November 2019. She left the show after its third season to focus on her music.

Sour Album Success

Rodrigo during the Sour Tour in 2022

Olivia Rodrigo signed with Geffen Records in 2020. She made sure her contract gave her ownership of her music's original recordings. On January 8, 2021, she released her first song, "Drivers License". She wrote it with producer Dan Nigro. The song was a huge hit right away. It broke Spotify's record for most daily streams for a non-holiday song twice. It had over 15.7 million streams on January 11 and over 17 million the next day. It was also the first song to reach 80 million streams in just seven days.

"Drivers License" debuted at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100. It also reached number one in many other countries. Olivia said that week was "the absolute craziest week of my life." She felt her "entire life just, like, shifted in an instant."

On April 1, 2021, Olivia released her next song, "Deja Vu". It debuted at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100. This made her the first artist to have her first two songs debut in the top 10. Her third single, "Good 4 U", came out on May 14, 2021. It became her second song to debut at number one on the Hot 100.

Her first album, Sour, was released on May 21, 2021. Critics loved it. Many called her one of the best new artists of her generation. Variety magazine even called her "the voice of her generation." Sour debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart. It stayed there for five weeks, making it the longest-running number-one album by a female artist in 2021.

In June 2021, Olivia showed Sour Prom, a concert film on YouTube. A few days later, Time named her Entertainer of the Year. By the end of 2021, Billboard said Olivia was the bestselling singles artist worldwide. "Drivers License" was Spotify's most streamed song globally. Sour was also Spotify's most streamed album. To support Sour, Olivia went on her first tour, the Sour Tour. It ran from April to July 2022, with shows in the US, Canada, and Europe.

Olivia's Disney+ documentary, Olivia Rodrigo: Driving Home 2 U, came out on March 25, 2022. It showed how she made the Sour album. She received seven nominations at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. She won awards for Best New Artist, Best Pop Vocal Album for Sour, and Best Pop Solo Performance for "Drivers License". While working on her next album, Guts, Olivia took a poetry class. She turned one of her homework pieces into the song "Lacy" for the album.

Guts Album Release

Rodrigo performing in Los Angeles in 2023

On August 16, 2023, Olivia Rodrigo became the youngest artist to receive the BRIT Billion Award. This award is for artists who have over one billion digital streams in the United Kingdom. She was the 19th artist to get this award.

Olivia's second album, Guts, was released on September 8, 2023. It debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 chart. She said the album was about "growing pains" and finding herself. She felt like she had grown "ten years" between ages 18 and 20. Critics praised Guts, and BBC News called it the most acclaimed album of 2023.

The first song from the album, "Vampire", was released on June 30. It became Olivia's third song to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. This made her the first artist ever to have the first songs from two albums debut at number one. The album's second song, "Bad Idea Right?", came out on August 11, 2023. It reached the top 10 in the US and UK.

On October 9, 2023, Olivia performed songs from Guts at a special concert in Los Angeles. All the money from ticket sales went to her Fund 4 Good organization. On October 18, 2023, Olivia announced that four secret songs from Guts vinyl editions would be released. These songs came out as a special EP for Record Store Day.

On November 3, Olivia released the song "Can't Catch Me Now" for the movie The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. This song won an award for Best Original Song at the 2023 Hollywood Music in Media Awards.

To support Guts, Olivia started her second tour, the Guts World Tour. It ran from February to October 2024, with shows in North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. On March 20, 2024, Olivia announced a deluxe version of Guts with five new songs. Guts (Spilled) was released on March 22, 2024. On April 13, 2024, Olivia joined No Doubt on stage at Coachella. She performed their song "Bathwater" with them.

On October 2, 2024, Olivia announced a Guts World Tour concert film. It was released on October 29, 2024, on Netflix. She will also be a main performer at the 2025 BST Hyde Park Show in London. This will be her biggest show in the UK so far.

Musical Style and Influences

Musical Inspirations

Olivia Rodrigo has said that Taylor Swift and Lorde are her biggest musical heroes. She once called herself Swift's biggest fan "in the whole world." Olivia later gave credit to Swift and Jack Antonoff for parts of her song "1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back." She also credited Swift, Antonoff, and Annie Clark for her song "Deja Vu." In 2022, she called the White Stripes band member Jack White her "hero of all heroes."

Other artists who inspired Olivia's first album include Alanis Morissette, Kacey Musgraves, Fiona Apple, Cardi B, Gwen Stefani, Avril Lavigne, Billie Eilish, and Lana Del Rey. For her album Guts, she was mainly inspired by punk and alternative rock music. This included bands like Babes in Toyland and Rage Against the Machine.

Songwriting and Voice

Olivia Rodrigo has a soprano voice. Her music is generally described as pop. Her songs include styles like pop rock, teen pop, and indie pop, as well as 1990s alternative rock.

Olivia has said she wants to be a songwriter, not just "the biggest pop star that ever lived." She chose to sign with Interscope/Geffen Records because its CEO, John Janick, praised her songwriting skills. Music journalists say Olivia is a leader for new songwriters. Her music often explores feelings of heartbreak, mental health, and sadness. She expresses these emotions in a realistic way.

Other Activities

Brand Partnerships

In December 2021, Olivia Rodrigo became a brand ambassador for Casetify, a phone accessory company. She helped design the "Hardened Hearts" phone case collection. This collection was inspired by her album Sour and 90s and Y2K styles. In April 2022, she became the first celebrity partner for the beauty brand Glossier.

Olivia also worked with Sony Electronics in September 2023. They released a special edition of their Linkbuds S earbuds. In December 2023, she and Health-Ade introduced the "Good 4 Ur Guts" smoothie. In November 2024, Olivia became a global brand ambassador for Lancôme, a beauty company.

Helping Others

Olivia Rodrigo has used her platform to help others. From 2017 to 2018, she worked with her Bizaardvark co-star Madison Hu and Instagram #KindComments. They encouraged fans to be kind online. Olivia and Madison also teamed up with My Friend's Place. This group helps young people who are homeless find shelter, food, and support. In 2018, Olivia spoke at the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media. She also became the face of the "She Can STEM" campaign.

In February 2021, Olivia released "Spicy Pisces T-shirts" on her website. All the money from sales went to She's the First. This group helps young girls get scholarships and education. In June 2021, she sold her clothes and items from her music videos. All the money from these sales went to charity. Olivia also donated part of her Sour Tour ticket sales to Women for Women International. This group helps women who have survived war rebuild their lives. In November 2021, she donated a signed guitar to an auction. The money went to research for epidermolysis bullosa, a rare skin condition. In December, she joined other musicians for a virtual concert called "Hope for the Holidays." They performed for hospital patients to bring them cheer.

Rodrigo posing with U.S. President Joe Biden as part of a campaign promoting COVID-19 vaccinations to youth

On July 13, 2021, Olivia Rodrigo worked with the White House. She helped encourage young people in the U.S. to get COVID-19 vaccinations. She met with President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Dr. Anthony Fauci. She discussed ways to promote vaccinations. CNN reported that Olivia would make videos to answer young people's questions about vaccines.

In November 2022, Olivia joined other celebrities to raise money for epidermolysis bullosa research. In December 2022, she donated items to the ASCAP Foundation. This foundation supports music education programs. She also took part in another "Musicians on Call" virtual concert. In January 2023, Olivia donated items to the MusiCares Foundation Charity Relief Auction. This helps musicians who need financial support.

Olivia launched a charity fund called Fund 4 Good in October 2023. This fund supports women's reproductive healthcare. She said the goal is to raise awareness for groups that support "women's issues in America." In January 2024, she donated items for a charity auction to benefit MusiCares and the Grammy Museum Foundation.

In October 2024, Olivia donated all the money from her sold-out concert in the Philippines to Jhpiego. This is a women's health organization that works in the Philippines.

Awards and Recognitions

Olivia Rodrigo has won many music awards. These include three Grammy Awards, seven Billboard Music Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, and two People's Choice Awards. She also won an American Music Award, a Brit Award, and a Juno Award.

Time named her Entertainer of the Year in 2021. They also put her on their 100 Next list. Billboard honored her as Rookie of the Year in 2021 and Woman of the Year in 2022. The magazine also included her on its "21 Under 21" list, and she topped it the next year.

Olivia was included in lists like Bloomberg 50 and Forbes 30 Under 30 for music. Fortune listed her in their 40 Under 40 for two years in a row. Variety named her "Songwriter of the Year" in 2021 and "Storyteller of the Year" in 2023. The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) named her "Songwriter of the Year" at their Pop Music Awards in 2022 and 2024. In 2024, Billboard called her "a new-school rock star as much as a pop phenom." Rolling Stone called her "Gen Z's preeminent rock star."

Discography

Studio albums

• Sour (2021)
• Guts (2023)

Filmography

Film

Television

Tours

• Sour Tour (2022)
• Guts World Tour (2024–2025)

See also

In Spanish: Olivia Rodrigo para niños

• List of artists who reached number one in the United States