Reviews by mars
The best of New Music Friday’s releases featuring Olivia Rodrigo’s “drivers license"
Coming hot off of the success of Disney+’s “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” is Olivia Rodrigo, 17-years-old and beginning her rise to superstardom. The Disney+ original series introduced Rodrigo to millions of both old and new High School Musical fans, but it’s her performance on the self-written “All I Want” that effortlessly shows off Rodrigo’s vocal talent. The song, featured on the Disney show’s soundtrack, has now amassed almost 200 million streams on Spotify and has become a massive trend on TikTok.
But now, Rodrigo’s time in the sun has come - and with it is her gorgeously haunting debut single, “drivers license.” Both a coming-of-age narrative and the story of failed teenage love, “drivers license” is a ballad that navigates nostalgia and the heartbreak that accompanies lost love and hurt over a former flame moving on with someone new - someone prettier, older, and blonder. There’s also something so liberating about a Disney star’s debut single being so transparent and mature for her age, including a perfectly placed and recurring F-bomb.
The immense vocal talent that Rodrigo showcased on “All I Want” is front and center on “drivers license” with the teen star effortlessly running through the intricate melodies, shifting immaculately from head and chest voices without a single ounce of hesitation. Her harmonies soar on the Lorde-inspired bridge, and its lyrics, so brutally honest, draw directly from her musical inspiration, Taylor Swift. Rodrigo has been vocal on social media as to her love for Swift’s songwriting, and the transparent verses pull from Swift’s ability to turn the most common of human emotions into picturesque detailing. “Red lights, stop signs / I still see your face in the white cars, front yards / Can’t drive past the places we used to go to / ‘Cause I still f*ckin’ love you, babe”
“Drivers license” will be examined in the weeks to come regarding its subject matter and story, but the song itself will be what stands the test of time. It’s four minutes of heart-wrenching imagery that leaves me incredibly excited for what’s to come of a career destined for the spotlight.
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About MarsNY-based, 26-year-old, music-obsessed and loves to write about it. Archives
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