Born in 2003 and raised in Murrieta and Temecula, California, Olivia Rodrigo grew up surrounded by music and performance. She's biracial—half-Filipina on her dad's side and German-Irish on her mom's—and she's always been super open about her heritage. Her parents got her into singing and acting lessons when she was just a kid, and her mom hooked her on '90s alt-rock bands like No Doubt and The White Stripes, which totally shaped her vibe. By the time she was nine, she was writing her own songs on the piano and guitar, laying down the groundwork for what was coming next.
She got her big break as a teen actor, starring in Disney shows like Bizaardvark and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, where her original song "All I Want" blew up online. But her career completely exploded in early 2021 when she dropped her debut single "Drivers License". It shattered streaming records overnight, and her follow-up debut album Sour turned her into a massive global pop star almost instantly, earning her multiple Grammys. She backed it up with her hit 2023 rock-pop album Guts, solidifying her place as one of the biggest voices of her generation.
“I think showing up is really important. It's more important than being talented or good at anything because you can be super talented, but if you don't show up, what's the point?”