We’re not half way through 2021, but we can all agree that Driver’s License is the biggest songs this year. Olivia Rodrigo covers Elle Magazine for their latest issue and takes charge of the narrative. She talks about all of it from the SNL spoof, to the speculation behind the song, and becoming a songwriter.

The interview took place while Olivia was filming in Salt Lake City, Utah for Season 2 of High School Musical The Musical The Series. During the interview she was asked, “What’s it like to have millions of people dissecting your love life in social media comment threads?” Olivia responded that it’s every songwriter’s dream.

She goes on to talk about musical influences and how her parents allowed her to become herself. Her father is a marriage and family therapist and her mother is a teacher. Olivia found her appreciation for rock music through her mom. “My mom would be like, ‘Screaming and yelling and all that grotesque stuff, it’s emotion. It moves me. That’s the point of music.’” She expanded her taste to punk and alternative rock like Clash, Smashing Pumpkins, No Doubt, and the White Stripes. Check out her singing some of those songs in Elle’s latest Song Association.

Olivia looks to also do the same with her music. She wants to move people with her music. We know she’s a natural performer, but she definitely had her fair share of auditions. After taking her shot in acting and going to auditions, she also took up piano. That’s where a transformational happened.

She started writing songs of her own, using the piano first, and then the guitar. Calling songwriting a craft, her first song was called Superman. It was about a girl who doesn’t need a superhero to save her. Olivia continued to sharpen her songwriting skills and here we are with Driver’s License and Deja Vu.

Check out the full article on Elle.com and catch her performing at the 2021 Brit Awards.