Olivia Rodrigo saw her career shoot through the roof at the beginning of 2021 thanks to her debut single “Drivers License.” A week after its release, the song tallied 100 million streams on Spotify, a massive success that the platform said they’d never seen before. “Drivers License” was the catalyst for Rodrigo’s rise to stardom last year, serving as the lead single for Sour, her chart-topping Grammy-nominated album. It also granted her a sold-out North American and European tour. Altogether, Rodrigo has a lot to be thankful for, and you can see that in a throwback video she shared to celebrate the one-year anniversary of “Drivers License.”
In the video, which she shared on Instagram, Rodrigo can be seen playing “Drivers License” on the piano shortly after she wrote the song. “Happy first birthday to the little song that changed my whole life,” she wrote in the post’s caption. “I made this video a day or two after I wrote [‘Drivers License’] in my living room (with a very squeaky sustain pedal lol). Crazy to think how quickly life changes.” She concluded, “[Thank you] to everyone who has supported me so tenderly. Music is the most magical thing in the world.”
Rodrigo concluded 2021 with an NPR Tiny Desk concert at a DMV location. She was also one of a few musical figures who landed on Google’s list of the top trending searches of 2021.