Olivia Rodrigo finds power from being 'vulnerable and open'

American actress and singer Olivia Rodrigo boasts of living a life that is "any songwriter's dream"  mainly because of her breakout debut single as the Drivers License hitmaker believes the vulnerability and openness in the lyrics offer power to the music. 

The 18-year-old music sensation rose to the height of fame in early 2021 with her single "Drivers License" that perched at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained in the top spot for eight weeks. The song not only trended on TikTok, broke Spotify records but it also became the backdrop of a Saturday Night Live skit.

"Most 14-year-olds aren’t in a room with adults being like, ‘So, what’s your brand?’ " she told Elle magazine in an exclusive interview as the emerging singer stars on the May 2021 cover of the magazine.

"It’s hard to be something that is not one-dimensional on a medium that is inherently one-dimensional, you know?"

She was critical of how people described her on television and social media. However, she said things changed when she posted her original songs and started being recognized for them.

"They were like, ‘We want Olivia’s character’s song to sound like the song that Olivia wrote,'" said Rodrigo while recalling what Disney's music team said when the show's producers sent over a clip of one of her originals. With the exposure, she got the opportunity to write a single for Nina to perform on the show. And, then her milestone song came that found unprecedented and unexpected success.

"I thought I was going to be really in my head, like, ‘I’m never going to write a song as good as that again,’ " she said. "This song has given me a lot of confidence in my voice."

"It’s truly any songwriter’s dream," she said, while taking pride in that her words resonate with people who say how Rodrigo got her feelings off her chest and bared her heart in the sweeping ballad.

"There’s something so powerful in being vulnerable and open, like, 'This is my life, and I’m f---ing sad.' Or, 'I’m insecure.' That’s what makes songwriting so special."

"I think songwriting has really helped me home in on what I like about myself and my art. ...I just want to be effortless, I guess," she said. "Whether it’s in my fashion or my songs or my social media, I want to just be like, ‘Yo, this is me. And I’m sometimes weird as f***, and I’m sometimes polished and put together.’"

Watch Olivia Rodrigo's song association video here: