Olivia Rodrigo may have earned a name for herself by scoring the lead role in the hit Disney+ show High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, but she’s now dipping her toes into a musical career of her own. After months of teasing her debut single, Rodrigo shares a lovelorn video alongside her track “Drivers License.”
The graceful visual offers a vignette of Rodrigo’s post-heartbreak healing. She earns her drivers license but instead of going to her old fling’s house, like she used to dream of, she finds herself instead aimlessly circling side streets. All the while, Rodrigo replays scenes of her fleeting relationship. At first she’s only confronted by the happy memories, but eventually, all the toxic traits of her ex-partner come flooding back to her.
Speaking about her inspiration behind the track, the 17-years-old describes the disorienting emotions of her recent heartbreak. “When I came up with ‘Drivers License,’ I was going through a heartbreak that was so confusing to me, so multifaceted,” Rodrigo said. “Putting all those feelings into a song made everything seem so much simpler and clearer—and at the end of the day, I think that’s really the whole purpose of songwriting. There’s nothing like sitting at the piano in my bedroom and writing a really sad song. It’s truly my favorite thing in the world.”
Watch to Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” video above.