“My dream collaboration?” pondered Olivia Rodrigo in the Apr. 26 edition of Elle magazine’s #SongAssociation. Though the “Drivers License” singer brought up Taylor Swift frequently through the game (“The Story of Us,” “All Too Well,” “Picture To Burn,” “Begin Again”), it was all a misdirect. Instead of picking Taylor, Olivia, 18, thought, “it would be really cool to collaborate with Billie Eilish. I think everything she does is just so spectacular. I love, like, her first EP [Don’t Smile At Me]. I just fell so deeply in love with that project.”
“I love like, ‘My Boy,’” added Olivia, proving she is indeed a Billie Eilish OG stan. “I think that song is so genius and clever and fun.” During the interview, Olivia also gave love to Lorde over her song, “Liability,” saying how the song is “so breathtakingly spectacular and honest and just so beautiful.” She also mentioned Taylor again, associating the word “Hand” with Swift’s song, “I Think He Knows.”
Taylor will likely be one of the major influences on Sour, Olivia’s upcoming album. In mid-April, Olivia announced that her debut full-length will be out on May 21. While speaking with Elle, she gave a sneak peek into her music-making process. “This is my bedroom songwriting oasis,” she told the publication, which noted that Olivia “created a little shrine, taping up pictures of singer-songwriters she admires: Taylor Swift, Gwen Stefani, Alanis Morissette, and, of course, Gracie Abrams.” There is also a whiteboard containing lists pertaining to the album. “It’s songs that I love and want to reference, and songs that I’ve written that I want to clean up,” Rodrigo said.
The love goes both ways between Taylor and Olivia. While the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series star is a dyed-in-the-wool Swiftie, Taylor showed that she was a fan of Olivia when “Drivers License” charted next to a pair of songs from the deluxe edition of Swift’s Evermore. “Next to Taylor on the U.S. iTunes chart, I am a puddle of tears,” wrote Olivia, to which Taylor said, “I say that’s my baby, and I’m really proud.” This prompted Olivia to record her reaction, calling it the “highlight” of her year.
Recently, Olivia got a chance to take her Taylor love to the next level. “You ok? NO cause I sent my two kids [Olivia Rodrigo] and [Conan Gray] my new version of You Belong With Me, and THEY ARE SO CUTE IT PHYSICALLY HURTS ME,” Taylor tweeted while sharing a video of Olivia and Conan, 22, recreating Taylor’s music video for “You Belong With Me.”