Last Updated on September 13, 2024
Who is Olivia Rodrigo?
Olivia Rodrigo is a rising star renowned for many hits in the past year, which took the world by storm from her debut single to her studio album. The world can hardly get enough of this Disney actress turned pop star.
On January 8, 2021, she released her debut single and broke records in the United States and worldwide. Rodrigo, who was 17 at the time, set a daily record for global streams for a non-holiday song on January 11 with her song “drivers license,” three days after its initial release.
The single went on to beat its own record the next day, eventually setting the service’s record for most streams in a week worldwide. Her album “Sour” followed and was well-received to critical acclaim.
Before her music fame, she had built a growing career as an actress starring in several Disney programs such as “An American Girl: Grace Stirs Up Success,” her first lead role.
She played the primary role in “Bizaardvark” and the lead role in “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.”
Quick Facts
Full Name: | Olivia Isabel Rodrigo |
Popular Name: | Olivia Rodrigo |
Gender: | Female |
Birth Date: | February 20, 2003 |
Age: | 20 years |
Parents: | Ronald Rodrigo, Sophia Rodrigo |
Siblings: | N/A |
Birth Place: | Murrieta, California |
Nationality: | American |
Ethnicity: | Filipino-American |
Education: | N/A |
Marital Status: | Single |
Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
Wife/Spouse: | N/A |
Children: | N/A |
Dating: | N/A |
Net Worth: | $5 million |
Source of Wealth: | Music, Acting |
Height: | 5ft5 (1.65m) |
Weight: | 50kg (110lbs) |
Early Life and Career Information
Olivia Rodrigo was born in Murrieta, California, to marriage and family therapist Ronald and a school teacher, Sophia. She was raised in the neighboring town of Temecula. She is Filipino-American of mixed heritage, with her father being of Filipino descent while her mother is of German and Irish descent.
She began taking vocal lessons as early as five years old and acting lessons when she was six. With a flair for performing, she soon appeared in several school plays and local theater productions.
Inspired by her parents’ love for alternative rock songs, such as No Doubt, Pearl Jam, the White Stripes, and Green Day, she learned to play the guitar soon after learning to play the piano. She took an interest in writing songs after listening to country music and was influenced by Taylor Swift.
Rodrigo’s first professional acting job was a commercial for Old Navy. In 2015, she landed the lead role of Grace Thomas in the straight-to-video movie “An American Girl: Grace Stirs Up Succeeds” that was later released on Disney Channel and Netflix. The following year, she starred in the Disney Channel original series “Bizaardvark” in the leading role of Paige Olvera, which she played for three seasons.
In 2019, Rodrigo got the starring role of Nini Salazar-Roberts on the Disney+ series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. She wrote “All I Want” and co-wrote “Just for a Moment,” two songs that would serve as soundtracks for the show.
She signed a record deal with Interscope Records and Geffen Records in 2020 and shrewdly negotiated the right to own the masters of her music from the beginning of her career. She said in an interview, “You definitely have to be a businesswoman to be a musician.”
On January 8, 2021, Rodrigo released her debut single, “Drivers License,” which catapulted her to fame beyond the Disney star boundaries. The song set a daily record for global streams for a non-holiday song on Spotify. In addition, the single had over 15.17 million global streams on January 11, then broke its record with over 17.01 million streams on January 12.
The song debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the global charts for eight consecutive weeks.
Rodrigo released her second single, “Deja Vu,” on April 1, 2021, which debuted at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100, making her the first artist to debut their first two releases in the top 10 of the Hot 100.
On May 21, 2021, her full album “Sour” debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart and spent a total of five weeks at the spot, becoming the longest-reigning number-one album by a female artist in 2021.
Olivia Rodrigo’s Net Worth
Olivia Rodrigo was immensely successful last year, and 2023 has been looking to be no different. A majority of her wealth is from her time on the Disney channel, her record deal, and massive music sales.
However, some of her earnings result from her merch sales and social media. She has expanded from being just an actor and is now one of the most prominent female artists in the industry.
Given her remarkable success story, it comes as no surprise that Rodrigo has an impressive net worth of $5 million.
Lessons from the Life of Olivia Rodrigo
You can turn bad moments into strength
Rodrigo has shown through her songwriting that taking a bad and painful experience and turning it into material for your self-expression is ultimately the best way to handle your emotions.
She chose to find strength elsewhere and channeled her pain into her music, leading to the hit song that skyrocketed her into fame. This teaches us that there are better ways to express negative emotions rather than doing nothing.
Take Charge and Be Informed in all Stages of your life
Despite being young and having little experience in the music business, Rodrigo skillfully negotiated the ownership of the right to her masters when signing with her record label. This is often unheard of, yet she was able to do so.
That’s because she decided to be involved in all aspects of her music early on, the business side included. As a result, she educated herself to avoid being taken advantage of, as is the usual case with new artists.