By Olivia Yin
Even if you are not caught up on the latest TikTok trends, you have probably heard of the crazy popular song “Drivers License” by Olivia Rodrigo. This song broke the record for most streams in a day (excluding holiday music) on Spotify with over 17 million streams.
Currently, it has over 224 million streams total. It beat out many popular artists like Ariana Grande, the previous record holder, for most streams in one day, from her hit song “7 rings.”
The 17-year-old Rodrigo released her song on January 8th, and it has since remained on the Hot 100 Billboard songs now at number 1.
Why is this song so popular you might ask? There are a couple of reasons.
First, because of the drama. Olivia Rodrigo, like many other music artists, has gained fame from her lead role in the Disney+ show “High School Musical.” This song is rumored to be about her possible break up with her co-star Joshua Bassett.
There are references in the lyrics that fans and new listeners alike have looked into, especially when she says, “…probably with that blonde girl…” Many think she is referring to Sabrina Carpenter who has been seen with Bassett often. However, Rodrigo has not clarified who this song is about, saying that the meaning of the song should be more important than who it is about.
Second, is the coverage the song received. From using her growing social media platforms to share her music like Instagram and TikTok, it gained a lot of attention. She got support from famous celebrities like Taylor Swift (who Rodrigo is a fan of) and Charli D’Amelio, a famous TikToker.
Thirdly, is the overall message of the song. I think everyone can enjoy a song that is full of feeling and expresses deep emotions of heartbreak. Even if you have never experienced a breakup, you can feel the anguish through every note.
TikTok is a perfect place for a young climbing artist to be supported and appreciated. The app has helped many unknown teenage artists blow up and exponentially increase their fame and popularity. In fact, the attention that young musicians are getting now because of social media (which provides direct access to millions of other understanding teenagers), is unlike anything that has ever seen before. This works by more people using your sound or music in their videos, the more exposure the song gets, and consequently, the more streams you acquire.
In this chaotic pandemic, I think it was the perfect audience to receive a song that reminds us of feelings that don’t involve politics and the current situation regarding COVID 19. There is something so quintessential about a devastating breakup song that takes you to another world entirely. As always, some people claim this song is overrated and don’t understand the hype.
And with ‘Drivers License’ constantly being played on social media platforms and being streamed on Spotify and Apple Music, it is difficult to avoid wondering if the song deserves this much attention. Although it might not be the deepest or most impressive song, we can’t deny that it’s the first earworm of 2021.
