Olivia Rodrigo's rise to fame: From Disney Channel to a world tour
She's now announced her third album
Olivia Rodrigo is best-known for her hits 'drivers license', 'good 4 u' and 'vampire', she also writes her own songs AND is a talented actress. Following her 'guts world tour', where she fell THROUGH the stage, Liv has now announced her third album called 'you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love', will be out in June 2026!
At just 23-years-old, find out what she's already achieved - which is A LOT! Look no further, here's everything you need to know about Olivia Rodrigo, including the latest on her new music.
How old is Olivia Rodrigo?
Despite having a number of awards and Top 10 songs to her name, Olivia is only 23-years-old! She was born on 20th February 2003.
When is Olivia releasing her third album?
It's been the question on every fans' lips since she ended her 'guts world tour', but Olivia has now confirmed the name and release date for her third album. It will drop on 12th June 2026 and it is called 'you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love'.
What is her latest song?
It's been two years since Olivia released solo music, but finally the singer announced in April 2026 that she was going to release her album in June, preceded by her single 'drop dead'.
'drop dead' is the lead single from her third album and will be released on 17th April.
Has she won a GRAMMY Award?
Olivia won three GRAMMYs in 2022, and she also performed at the prestigious award ceremony. The singer won Best Pop Vocal Album for 'sour', Best New Artist, and Best Pop Solo Performance for 'driver's license'. In the category of Best Pop Vocal Album, she was up against Ariana Grande, Doja Cat, Billie Eilish and Justin Bieber.
Olivia was nominated for six GRAMMY awards at the 2024 ceremony. 'guts' was nominated in the Album Of The Year and Best Pop Vocal Album categories, whilst Olivia was up for Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for 'vampire'. Meanwhile, 'ballad of a homeschooled girl' was in the running for Best Rock Song.
Olivia also performed her track 'vampire' at the GRAMMY Awards in 2024.
Olivia's second album 'guts'
Olivia's second album 'guts' was released on 8th September 2023. Announcing her album earlier in 2023, Olivia wrote: 'my sophomore album GUTS comes out september 8th. i am so proud of this record and I can’t wait to share it with you all! u can presave it now! xoxoxoxo❤️💜💌🖤.' (sic)
On the second anniversary of her debut album, Olivia said: 'oh man oh man oh man. SOUR turns 2 years old today. no words could ever describe how much this album means to me and how insanely grateful I feel for every blessing it has brought into my life. the new stuff is so so so so so close to being done I pinky promise 💓'. (sic)
Back in March 2022, Olivia told Elle: "I’m definitely not as sad as I was when I wrote 'sour'. I’m so excited to make my next record and explore more colours and textures and feelings and grow as a human being even more. I’m really stoked for that."
Then in August 2022, her songwriting collaborator Dan Nigro shared a selfie of the pair, sparking rumours that they were back in the studio working on new material.
In January 2023, Olivia posted an Instagram Story showing her with Dan. In the video, the pair were head-banging to some piano chords, with the words: 'working on so many new songs I'm excited to show u! thank u for everything 💘'.
Olivia opened up in a For The Record interview with us, she told us about how she came up with the idea for 'vampire', and how it felt writing 'guts' after the success of her debut album 'sour'.
Olivia's first album 'sour'
Olivia released her debut album 'sour' in 2021, and since its release it's done phenomenally well - winning the singer several awards. In January 2024, the album became the first studio album in history to have EVERY track surpass 300 million streams on Spotify! It was even certified 4x Platinum in the UK in September 2025, translating to over 1.2 MILLION UK sales!
In January 2026 the singer announced that she would be releasing some reimagined covers of songs from her debut album, to celebrate its fifth anniversary. The first song was 'drivers license'. On 3rd April, she released David Byrne's version of the song along with their version of 'Burning Down The House'.
The 'making of' journey of her debut album called driving home 2 u, was released on 25th March 2022. The programme can be watched on Disney+.
When is she on tour?
Olivia has now finished her 'guts world tour', which included 10 dates in the UK, however two of the dates in Manchester were postponed due to problems with the venue. While performing in London, Olivia suffered a wardrobe malfunction and had to ask a dancer for help with her bra top.
Olivia returned to the UK on Friday 27th June 2025 to headline American Express presents BST Hyde Park 2025 - where she brought out surprise guest, Ed Sheeran. The pair performed his debut single 'A Team' together.
Has she performed at Glastonbury?
Yes! Olivia performed at Glastonbury Festival on Sunday 29th June 2025, closing the event, on the same day as Rod Stewart, The Prodigy and Noah Kahan. She also performed on the Other Stage back in 2022.
Has Olivia written a song about Sabrina Carpenter?
Although it hasn't been confirmed by either Olivia or Sabrina Carpenter, many fans believe Olivia's song 'driver's license' was written about Sabrina, after Olivia's ex-boyfriend Joshua Bassett is believed to have jumped from a relationship with Olivia to Sabrina.
'drivers license' includes lyrics such as: 'And you're probably with that blonde girl / Who always made me doubt / She's so much older than me / She's everything I'm insecure about.'
Does she have a health condition?
In a video with Vogue, as Olivia was preparing for the Met Gala, she revealed that she has synaesthesia, a neurological condition where a person's senses are interconnected. In Olivia's case she says: "I also have minor, baby synaesthesia, so when I listen to songs I'll see colours."
Speaking about the health condition, Olivia explained: "Lots of the songs on 'sour' are purple. 'drivers license' is purple, but 'good 4 u' is like a purpley-blue. 'jealousy, jealousy' is a bright red, 'deja vu' is like orange and pink and light purple.
"I like having purple as the cohesive colour throughout my whole 'sour' era."
According to the UK Synaesthesia Association: 'Synaesthesia is a truly fascinating condition. In its simplest form it is best described as a "union of the senses" whereby two or more of the five main senses that are normally experienced separately are involuntarily and automatically joined together.
'Some synaesthetes experience colour when they hear sounds or read words. Others experience tastes, smells, shapes or touches in almost any combination. These sensations are automatic and cannot be turned on or off. Synaesthesia isn’t a disease or illness and is not at all harmful. In fact, the vast majority of synaesthetes couldn’t imagine life without it.'
Is Olivia Rodrigo still in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series?
Despite Olivia having a main role in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, it was confirmed in July 2022 that season three was her last. Olivia's role was phased out throughout the third season, with show creator/showrunner Tim Federle saying: "I think she's ready to explore the world outside the halls of East High."
He continued: "Olivia herself was having such a monumental explosion in the music industry that it felt like the right thing to, frankly, work with Olivia to say, 'How do we get you out there into the world with us taking a little bit more of a backseat?', which we were all proud to do to support her.
"This season it's about trying to give her character a proper send-off while also leaving room for other characters to really step into the fray and step into the spotlight."
What was Olivia's first audition?
Olivia was just six-years-old when she did her first audition. The audition was for Parenthood, but she didn't get the part.
Now check out her incredible career timeline and rise to fame:
2016: Olivia played Paige Olvera in Bizaardvark
Disney Channel series Bizaardvark starred Olivia as Paige Olvera, one of two best friends who post funny songs and videos on the internet. Olivia appeared in three series of the TV show between 2016 and 2018.
In 2017, she also starred in an episode of New Girl, portraying one of Jessica Day's students, Terrinea, who initially thinks Jess is uncool and disrespects her, but later comes to like her - especially after realising she lives with Nick Miller, author of her favourite book.
2019: Olivia starred in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series
Back in 2019, Olivia took on the main role of Nini Salazar-Roberts, a musical theatre enthusiast, in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. Olivia also wrote the song 'All I Want' for the TV show.
2021: Olivia released 'drivers license'
'drivers license' was Olivia's first single and it went to Number 1 around the world. The song, which was written by Olivia and Dan Nigro, was nominated for many awards including two MTV Video Music Awards which it won for Song of the Year and Push Performance of the Year. The song was also nominated for three GRAMMY Awards for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance.
2021: Olivia released 'deja vu'
Olivia's second single 'deja vu' was another commercial success. Again, the song was written by Olivia along with Dan Nigro. Taylor Swift and two other songwriters also get a songwriting credit as it interpolates Taylor's song 'Cruel Summer'. In September 2024, the single was certified 2x Platinum.
2021: Olivia released 'good 4 u'
Once again, a song co-written by Olivia had commercial success. 'good 4 u' was nominated for several awards, including a GRAMMY Award for Best Music Video.
2021: Olivia met Presient Joe Biden
Olivia Rodrigo met with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. The singer was involved with efforts to promote Covid-19 vaccinations with young people in the US.
2021: Olivia was nominated for seven GRAMMY awards
Olivia Rodrigo received seven GRAMMY nominations including four in the big categories, best album, best new artist, record of the year and song of the year, for 'drivers license'.
In response to her nominations, Olivia took to Instagram saying: 'woke up this morning to 7 Grammy nominations. when I was younger, my family lived a few blocks from the staples center, where the Grammys took place every year. I would always walk outside the arena and look at the plaques on the ground with all the winners names in wide eyed wonder. i went to the Grammy museum so many of my free weekends bc I was so fascinated by the history of the show and all of the incredible musicians that made it up. many dreams have come true for me this year but this one is probably the most meaningful. thank you to everyone who has believed in me and supported the songs I write. and thank you to @recordingacademy for the recognition. I'm beyond humbled. truly a day I will never forget. so grateful aghhh❤️💜❤️💜' (sic)
2022: Olivia won her first BRIT Award
A year after making her debut UK performance at The BRIT Awards 2021, Olivia picked up her very first BRIT win! At The BRIT Awards 2022 with Mastercard, Olivia bagged herself the award for International Song of the Year, for her track 'good 4 u'.
2022: Olivia Rodrigo won three GRAMMYs
In 2022, Olivia also won three GRAMMY awards, Best Pop Vocal Album for 'sour', Best New Artist and Best Pop Solo Performance for 'driver's license'.
The singer also performed at the prestigious awards ceremony.
2022: High School Musical TV series confirmed Olivia's exit
In July 2022, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series creator and showrunner Tim Federle confirmed that season three would be Olivia's last on the show, saying: "I think she's ready to explore the world outside the halls of East High."
He continued: "And Olivia herself was having such a monumental explosion in the music industry that it felt like the right thing to, frankly, work with Olivia to say, 'How do we get you out there into the world with us taking a little bit more of a backseat?', which we were all proud to do to support her."
Olivia's role was phased out throughout the third season of the Disney+ show, with Tim adding: "This season it's about trying to give her character a proper send-off while also leaving room for other characters to really step into the fray and step into the spotlight."
2022: The 'Sour Tour' came to the UK
Olivia set out on her 'sour tour' in April 2022, with shows coming to the UK in July. She first headed to Glasgow on 2nd April, she then went to Manchester on 3rd and Birmingham on 4th, before rounding up her tour with two shows at London's Eventim Apollo on 6th and 7th.
2023: Comeback song 'vampire'
Olivia Rodrigo announced her comeback song 'vampire' would be released on 30th June. Teasing the date on her socials, with a countdown on her website, the song was a certified hit upon its release. Peaking at Number 2 in the UK Singles Chart, the song was also certified Silver in August 2023.
2023: Olivia Rodrigo released a song from The Hunger Games soundtrack
Olivia Rodrigo released her song 'Can't Catch Me Now' in 2023, which featured on the soundtrack for the prequel of The Hunger Games titled: The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.
2023: Second album 'guts' released
Olivia released her second album 'guts' in September 2023, containing singles such as 'vampire', 'bad idea right?' and 'get him back!'. The album topped the charts in no less than 15 countries around the world - including the UK and the US - and has even been certified 2x Platinum in the UK, with over 600,000 record sales. Wow!
2024: Olivia Rodrigo received two BRIT Award nominations
Olivia Rodrigo received two BRIT Award nominations when they were announced on 24th January 2024, she was up for International Artist of the Year, and International Song of The Year ('Vampire'), but on the night, both went to Chappell Roan.
2024: The 'guts world tour'
Olivia performed an incredible 102 shows across the UK and Ireland, the US, Europe, Australia and Asia, performing tracks from her two albums 'guts' and 'sour'. Supported by the likes of Chappell Roan, Remi Wolf, PinkPantheress, Beabadoobee and St. Vincent, her performance at Inglewood in the US was even filmed and streamed on Netflix. According to Billboard, Olivia became the youngest female solo artist to gross over $180 million in her debut arena tour, as her previous tour to support 'Sour' had not seen the star perform at arenas. Wow!
June 2025: Olivia Rodrigo headlined American Express presents BST Hyde Park
Olivia headlined American Express presents BST Hyde Park 2025 on 27th June 2025 with special guests The Last Dinner Party and girl in red. On the night, she brought our surprise guest, Ed Sheeran, who she performed 'The A Team' with, to thrilled audiences.
June 2025: Olivia headlined Glastonbury
Just two days after her BST Hyde Park concert, Olivia headed to Worthy Farm in Somerset where she headlined Glastonbury 2025! The American singer closed the Pyramid stage, bringing out The Cure's Robert Smith for a duet.
In a post uploaded to Instagram the following day, Liv wrote: 'headlining Glastonbury was quite literally just like a dream. thank you especially to Robert Smith for playing two of my favorite songs of all time on stage with me last night' (sic). The pair played The Cure singles 'Friday I'm in Love' and 'Just Like Heaven'.
January 2026: Olivia announced covers for fifth anniversary of 'sour'
In January 2026, while many fans were hoping for an album announcement from Olivia, she decided to announce a series of 'reimagined covers' of songs from her debut album. The first will be 'drivers license' reimagined by David Byrne, along with their version of 'Burning Down The House', released on 3rd April 2026.
April 2026: Olivia announced her third album name and release date
Exciting fans immensely on 2nd April, Olivia revealed her third album is called 'you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love' would be out on 12th April. The singer has also announced the lead single from her album is called 'drop dead', out on 17th April.
You can hear songs by Olivia Rodrigo on Hits Radio.
Read more:
Here's the real reason Zac Efron didn't sing in High School Musical
Olivia Rodrigo celebrates five years of 'sour' by announcing 'reimagined covers'
Olivia Rodrigo reveals how an ice cream trip inspired 'Vampire' 🍦