Olivia Rodrigo Wrote An Adorable (And Misspelled) Christmas Song When She Was Five, And Jimmy Fallon Unearthed It

Nominations for the 2024 Grammys were announced last month, and Olivia Rodrigo earned six from her sophomore album, Guts. Unfortunately, the Christmas song she wrote when she was five years old is not eligible, but it should be.

Rodrigo stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon for Thursday night’s (December 7) show. She courageously admitted to accidentally following an ex on Instagram, but Fallon wasn’t done digging around in her past. He asked Rodrigo about internet lore that she wrote an original Christmas song when she was five, and she acknowledged it was true but has no recollection of it. Luckily, Fallon unearthed it, homemade album cover and all, and played “The Bels,” adorably misspelled and written like a true kindergartner.

“Ho, ho, ho, ho / Wait for the bells,” a mini Rodrigo sings in the muffled audio apparently sent to Fallon’s team by her mother. “When you hear them, put the ornaments on the tree / Ho, ho, ho, ho / Wait for the bells / Wait for the bells on Santa’s sleigh to ring / Ho, ho, ho, ho.”

Fallon marveled that Rodrigo “wrote a jam at five years old” — he’s right; the song goes hard — “manifested this career” because she also held a “pop star-themed” birthday party. Don’t worry! Rodrigo’s mom delivered photos from the party. A six-year-old Rodrigo is standing before a mic stand, surrounded by posters showing the likes of Demi Lovato and Miley Cyrus as well as a handwritten setlist on a whiteboard.

“Wow, yeah, I really manifested this hard,” Rodrigo said. “There was not an audience. No one was watching, but I just had all of my kindergarten friends and we were just singing, like, the Jonas Brothers. We were really into it.”

Now, everyone is watching 20-year-old Rodrigo all the time. She will serve as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live tomorrow, December 9, and then embark on her Guts World Tour in 2024.

Watch the full Tonight Show interview above, and watch Rodrigo’s “Singing Whisper Challenge” below.