Olivia Rodrigo says she now 'warns' her song subjects after Drivers License drama
6 September 2023, 16:25
Olivia Rodrigo vs. 'The Most Impossible Olivia Rodrigo Quiz' | PopBuzz Meets
Both Joshua Bassett and Sabrina Carpenter received death threats after Olivia Rodrigo released 'Drivers License' in 2021.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Olivia Rodrigo has revealed that she feels a "responsibility" to warn the subjects of her songs before she releases them now.
When Olivia Rodrigo released 'Drivers License' in 2021, it was impossible to predict the media storm that followed. The song went straight to Number 1 and the internet became invested in the alleged celebrity drama that inspired it. To this day, Olivia has never said who it's about but fans think she wrote it after Joshua Bassett reportedly left her for Sabrina Carpenter.
Now, Olivia has explained that she likes to give people a heads up if one of her songs might bring them unwanted attention.
READ MORE: Olivia Rodrigo responds to claims she wrote her Vampire lyrics about Taylor Swift
Speaking to Interview about her debut album Sour, Olivia said: "I feel like last time, there was so much weird media shit and I had no idea how to deal with any of it." Referencing 'Drivers License', Olivia added: "Literally, it was the first song out of the gate and all of that shit happened. I felt so ill-equipped."
In the wake of 'Drivers License', Joshua Bassett was "hospitalised". Discussing how it all affected him, Joshua told GQ: "I would see TikToks with like 50 million views and 10 million likes saying, 'If I ever see that kid on the street, I'm going to fucking kill him.' It's hard to see that."
Sabrina also opened up about it on her hit song 'Because I Liked a Boy'. She sang: 'Now I'm a homewrecker, I'm a slut / I got death threats fillin' up semitrucks' and 'Tell me who I am, guess I don't have a choice / All because I liked a boy.'
Discussing how she approaches releasing her music differently now, Olivia said: "That was an overwhelming experience, but now I definitely feel a responsibility [to give a heads up]. I just try not to think about it during the writing process."
Fans have speculated that her recent hit song 'Vampire' was written about her rumoured ex Zack Bia. There was also a viral theory that she wrote it about Taylor Swift but Olivia has shut down that rumour in a New York Times profile.
Olivia said: "I never want to say who any of my songs are about. I’ve never done that before in my career and probably won’t. I think it’s better to not pigeonhole a song to being about this one thing."
She added: "I was very surprised when people thought that."
Read more Olivia Rodrigo news stories here:
- Olivia Rodrigo says she dated people she "shouldn't have" after Sour came out
- Olivia Rodrigo explains the hilarious meaning behind her Bad Idea Right lyrics
- Olivia Rodrigo reveals she almost scrapped 'Deja Vu' to avoid more "love triangle" drama
- Olivia Rodrigo says artists she once admired have treated her like mean girls
- Olivia Rodrigo reveals why she named her new album Guts
WATCH: Olivia Rodrigo takes on 'The Most Impossible Olivia Rodrigo Quiz'
Olivia Rodrigo vs. 'The Most Impossible Olivia Rodrigo Quiz' | PopBuzz Meets
