Olivia Rodrigo

Rodrigo in 2023.

**Olivia Isabel Rodrigo** (born February 20, 2003) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She gained recognition for her lead roles on the Disney television programs *Bizaardvark* (2016–2019) and *High School Musical: The Musical: The Series* (2019–2022). In 2023, before she was signed to Interscope Records, Rodrigo released her debut single "never be like her!" to instant acclaim from critics and fans alike and large commercial success. The song topped the Billboard Hot Singles Chart, Digital Songs Chart, and Streaming Songs Chart upon its release and ended up serving as the lead single to her debut studio album *UGH!*, which was released on 15 November 2023 through Interscope. The album was a critical and commercial success, peaking at #2 on the Billboard Top Albums Chart.

## Early life

Olivia Isabel Rodrigo was born on February 20, 2003, at Rancho Springs Medical Center in Murrieta, California, the only child of school teacher Jennifer and family therapist Chris Rodrigo. She grew up in neighboring Temecula. Rodrigo was born half-deaf in her left ear. Rodrigo is a Filipino American; her father is of Filipino descent while her mother has German and Irish ancestry. She has stated that her paternal great-grandfather emigrated from the Philippines as a teenager and her family follows Filipino traditions and cuisine. She grew up listening to her parents' favorite alternative rock music, such as the bands No Doubt, Pearl Jam, the White Stripes, and Green Day.

Rodrigo started taking acting and vocal lessons in kindergarten and learned to play piano soon after. Rodrigo attended Lisa J. Mails Elementary School in Murrieta, participating in their after-school musical theater program. Rodrigo was playing guitar by age 12. Rodrigo first became interested in songwriting after listening to country music, especially singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. She attended Dorothy McElhinney Middle School in Murrieta for a year, but when she landed her role on *Bizaardvark* moved to Los Angeles and was homeschooled from 2016 until she graduated in 2021.

## Career

### 2014-2022: Acting

Rodrigo first appeared onscreen in an Old Navy commercial in 2014. Shortly after in 2015, at age twelve, she made her acting debut portraying the lead role of Grace Thomas in direct-to-video film *An American Girl: Grace Stirs Up Success*. In 2016, Rodrigo received recognition for starring as Paige Olvera, a guitarist in the Disney Channel series *Bizaardvark*, and played the role for three seasons.

In February 2019, she was cast in the starring role of Nini Salazar-Roberts on the Disney+ series *High School Musical: The Musical: The Series*, which premiered in November of that year. Rodrigo was praised for her performance, with Joel Keller from Decider describing her as "especially magnetic". In mid 2022, she left the show at the end of its fourth season to focus on her music career.

### 2023-present: Breakthrough with "never be like her!" and *UGH!*

Rodrigo signed with Interscope Records in 2023. She negotiated the record deal to secure for herself ownership of the masters of her music. Prior to signing with Interscope, she released her debut single "never be like her!", which she wrote with her producer and co-writer Dan Nigro. The song serves as the lead single to her debut major-label studio album *UGH!*. Within the week of its release, the song was critically acclaimed and topped the Billboard Hot Singles Chart, Digital Songs Chart, and Streaming Songs Chart.

## Artistry

### Influences

In 2023, Rodrigo named Taylor Swift, Lorde, Rihanna, and Troye Sivan as her idols and main musical inspirations, and dubbed herself Swift's biggest fan "in the whole world".