Home » Olivia Rodrigo Reveals Inspiration Behind Song ‘Drivers License’

Olivia Rodrigo Reveals Inspiration Behind Song ‘Drivers License’

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Fangirl! Olivia Rodrigo sat down with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe on Thursday, January 14, to talk about all things “Drivers License.”

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The singer, 17, said she wrote most of the song while “literally crying in my living room” at home.

“I was driving around my neighborhood, actually listening to really sad songs and crying in the car, and I got home and I was like, ‘Maybe I’ll write a song about this — crying in the car,’” Rodrigo recalled during the interview. “So I just sat down at my piano and plucked out some chords that I liked and it kind of happened that way.”

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The streaming smash was majorly inspired by another musician too. “One of my favorite artists and one of the coolest people ever is Gracie Abrams,” the California native told Lowe on Thursday. “I’ve heard the best things and I’ve been DMing her on Instagram and I told her that ‘Drivers License’ was so inspired by her.”


Olivia Rodrigo attends the Disney+ launch event promoting “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” in West Hollywood on October 19, 2019. Mark Von Holden/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

Before the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series star opened up about the meaning behind the emotional ballad, fans speculated that it was about Joshua Bassett. The pair starred alongside one another in Disney+’s High School Musical reboot as a couple, which led to rumors of an offscreen romance. Fans believe “Drivers License,” with lyrics about an ex moving on, is a message to the Stuck in the Middle actor, 20, about Sabrina Carpenter — a Disney Channel alum to whom he’s been linked recently.

“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,” the Disney star sings on the breakup song, seemingly referencing the 21-year-old Girl Meets World actress.

When the Bizaardvark alum first teased her single last year on Instagram, she sang about a “brunette girl.” Social media users believe Bassett taught Rodrigo how to drive, further fueling speculation that the song is about him.

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Meanwhile, rumors are swirling that the musician’s costar will hit back at her in a song of his own called “Lie, Lie, Lie.” Online sleuths’ ears perked up after Bassett revealed the inspiration behind the song via Instagram ahead of the Thursday release. “I wrote ‘Lie, Lie, Lie’ after I found out a friend had been lying about me behind my back for a long time,” he wrote.

“Drivers License” dropped on Friday, January 8. By Monday, January 11, the song was No. 1 on Spotify and Apple Music’s global streaming charts. It debuted at No. 3 on the iTunes chart below Taylor Swift‘s Evermore bonus tracks.