
Check out photos of the ‘High School Musical: The Musical – The Series’ star and singer.
Olivia Rodrigo rose to fame on Disney+, starring as Nini Salazar-Roberts in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, which premiered in 2019 and quickly built a devoted fan base. Before that breakout role, she played Paige Olvera on the Disney Channel comedy Bizaardvark, which aired from 2016 to 2019, marking her early start in the entertainment industry.
After gaining attention for her songwriting and vocals on the series, Olivia signed with Interscope Records and Geffen Records in 2020. She released her debut single, “Drivers License,” in January 2021, and it became an instant global phenomenon. The emotional ballad went viral on TikTok, broke multiple streaming records and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, cementing her status as a breakout music star.
The song sparked widespread online speculation about its inspiration, with fans theorizing it referenced her HSMTMTS co-star Joshua Bassett and fellow Disney alum Sabrina Carpenter. While the rumored love triangle dominated headlines at the time, Olivia has largely kept details of her personal life private and has since shifted the focus to her artistry.
“Driver’s License” especially gained viral attention since fans speculated that the heartbreak ballad was about her ‘HSMTMTS’ co-star Joshua Bassett, whom fans believe she had briefly dated (this is purely based on rumors, however). Fans also believed the song called out fellow Disney star Sabrina Carpenter, whom Joshua is friends with. Drama aside, though, Olivia has captivated millions of fans with her amazing voice alone.
She followed up the success of “Drivers License” with her debut album SOUR, which earned multiple Grammy Awards, and later expanded her sound with her sophomore album GUTS, further establishing herself as one of pop’s most influential young voices.
Celebrate the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter by scrolling to see more photos of her through the years.
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