During the years 2020-2021, the music industry has been booming like never before. One of the many highly esteemed artists is Olivia Rodrigo. Known for her role as Nini Salazar-Roberts in the Disney+ show ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’ Rodrigo has paved the way for all teens in the music industry with her several lyrical masterpieces. Rodrigo closes out 2021 as Billboard’s top new artist. One of her most popular songs, streamed more than 76.1 million times in the United States is,  ‘Drivers License’. Not only was this song a hit in the United States but, the track itself reached No. 1 in 31 countries on Spotify.

This hit song has gone through the stages of trends. First, something is released. This can be clothing, artwork, music, or even dances. Either it catches fire or it does not take flight. In Rodrigo’s case her ‘Drivers License’ almost immediately blew up. Secondly, people have the urge to be apart or have this item/idea. By this point, the idea or item has been spread widely. Almost all of the targeted age group has been exposed to this new trend. Ending the phase with the die out of the trend and people move onto the next big thing. ‘Drivers License’ endured the last phase for a while, but as all things, the craze had to end. 

Rodrigo’s ‘Drivers License’ is targeted at mostly teenagers, but reaches even people in their 20s. The song was about a boy dumping a girl. It goes on about how the girl still reminisces about the times she has had with him and can’t quite get over him. Although this song seems to have a straightforward meaning there is much more to it. The song can be about loss, gain, self-love, trust, and even memories. It is a multitude of things that people feel all in one. ‘Drivers License’ did not have to be so simple, it can be taken in so many different directions. It’s much more broad, deep, and personal than just a relationship. People can really feel the emotions when listening to this song and that is  the beautiful thing about it. 

We may ask ourselves, why did so many people listen to this particular song? I think that many people resonated with this song. Rodrigo targeted this track to the teen age group. As a teenager herself she can understand and communicate the struggles of what it is to live in this world as a young person. As a result we, the listeners, feel understood. This is not to say that all teenagers felt empowered by this song but, in a way it connected people over a wide topic that many understand. 

Now the biggest question, was Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Drivers Licenses’ overplayed? As someone who had this song on repeat for months, I think it was overplayed. I also think that if people feel something when listening to this song, whether it’s pain, sadness, anger, or happiness then it is doing its job. Music is supposed to make you feel and recognize something about yourself. That is exactly what ‘Drivers Licenses’ is able to do. With that knowledge, I think people can play this song however much they desire,  especially if it makes them realize something about themselves.