Olivia Rodrigo
Born in San Francisco, California, Olivia Rodrigo grew up listening to her parents’ music collection. Her father played guitar while her mother sang and wrote songs. She began playing piano at age 10 and later learned how to play drums and bass. At age 14 she moved to Los Angeles with her family and attended Hollywood High School where she met her future husband, singer-songwriter John Roderick. They married in 1996 and had two children together. In 1999, Rodrigo signed a recording contract with Warner Bros., releasing her debut album, “The Way I Am,” in 2001. The album included the singles “I Need You Tonight” and “What If.” She followed it with another album, “Love Is All We Have Left,” in 2002. Afterward, she took some time off to focus on raising her children.
In 2005, Rodrigo returned to the studio with producer David Foster to record her second album, “Beautiful Soul.” Released in 2006, the album includes the hit single “You’re My World.” Afterward, she toured with Rascal Flatts and performed at several festivals including Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and Lollapalooza.
Rodrigo continued working on her third album, “Something Beautiful,” which was released in 2010. Produced by Rodney Jerkins and featuring collaborations with artists such as Beyonce Knowles, Ne-Yo, Kelly Clarkson and Pink, the album debuted at number one on Billboard magazine’s Top 200 Album Chart.
While touring with her band, Rodrigo collaborated with pop star Britney Spears, performing backing vocals on Spears’ song “Hold It Against Me.” She also recorded a duet with Spears called “Baby One More Time,” which became a worldwide smash hit.
Rodrigo’s fourth album, “Living Out Loud,” was released in 2012. The album features the single “Hang On,” which peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Following the release of the album, Rodrigo toured with Justin Bieber and opened for Maroon 5 on select dates of their Red Pill Blues tour.
In 2013, Rodrigo joined the cast of NBC’s musical drama Smash. She portrayed Karen Cartwright, the wife of Tom Levitt (Jack Davenport). She left the show during Season 3; however, she reprised her role starting in Season 4.
In 2016, Rodrigo released her fifth album, “Live From Here.” The album reached number four on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The lead single, “Live From Here,” reached number seven on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.
Life and career
She attended high school at Canyon Crest Academy in Chino Hills, California, where she graduated in 2012. She then moved to Los Angeles, California, to pursue her dreams in film. While there, she landed several commercials including one for Old Navy. After seeing the commercial, producers approached her about auditioning for a part in it. At the time, she had no idea what the job entailed; however, she accepted the offer because she wanted to learn how to act. Soon after, she booked another commercial for Tostitos tortilla chips. This led her to land the role of Gabby in the musical comedy film, High School Musical 3: Senior Year. Her performance earned her a Young Artist Award nomination for Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Young Actress. She played the character of Gabby throughout the entire three-year run of the movie.
In 2013, she starred alongside Ashley Tisdale and Lucas Grabeel in the Hallmark Channel original movie, A Christmas Bride. The following year, she portrayed the female lead, Ava, in the Nickelodeon TV movie, The Haunted Hathaways: Return to Halloweentown. Also in 2014, Rodrigo guest starred on the ABC Family sitcom, iCarly. From 2015 to 2016, she appeared in the recurring roles of Abby in the CBS sitcom, Life in Pieces, and Molly in the NBC sitcom, Superstore. She later reprised her role as Abby in 2017.
Rodrigo made her feature film debut in 2018, playing Gabby in the sequel to the 2007 hit movie, High School Musical, titled High School Musical 2. In 2019, she co-starred opposite Sofía Vergara in the romantic comedy, El Camino del Amor. On May 25, 2019, it was announced that Rodrigo would star in the upcoming Disney+ series, High School Musical: The Musicals: The Series. She plays the role of Nini Salazar-Roberts.
On October 17, 2019, it was reported that Rodrigo would play the role of Daisy Buchanan in the Broadway revival of Great Gatsby.
Personal life
Rodrigo began dating actor Ryan Guzman in early 2015. They broke up in April 2016. In July 2016, she began dating fellow actor David Lambert. Their relationship lasted until August 2017.
2020–present: Music breakthrough and Sour
Rodrigo began working on her debut album in late 2018. After signing with Interscope, she secured the release of her music from Sony/ATV Publishing. During the recording process, she worked closely with producers including Pharrell Williams, Diplo, DJ Khalil, and Hit-Boy.
On January 8, 2021, Rodrigo released “, which became her first song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Her second single, “Deja VU”, followed on April 1, peaking at number eight on the Hot 100. She later revealed that she wrote the songs during the early stages of her career while living in New York City.
The singer performed her debut single live on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on February 25, where she received positive reviews for her performance. This led to her being named one of Variety magazine’s Breakouts of 2020.