Olivia Rodrigo recently had the tough task of following up her mega-hit “Drivers License,” but she did just fine with “Deja Vu,” which has managed a respectable peak at No. 8 on the Hot 100 chart. Early on during the whirlwind success of “Drivers License,” though, Rodrigo thought the song would be a bit of a problem for her creatively.
In a new Elle feature, Rodrigo said, “I thought I was going to be really in my head, like, ‘I’m never going to write a song as good as that again.’ [Instead,] this song has given me a lot of confidence in my voice.” She also noted that she’s all for people dissecting her love live because of “Drivers License,” saying, “It’s truly any songwriter’s dream. There’s something so powerful in being vulnerable and open, like, ‘This is my life, and I’m f*cking sad.’ Or, ‘I’m insecure.’ That’s what makes songwriting so special.”
She later touched on what she thinks her “brand” is, saying, “I think songwriting has really helped me home in on what I like about myself and my art. I just want to be effortless, I guess. Whether it’s in my fashion or my songs or my social media, I want to just be like, ‘Yo, this is me. And I’m sometimes weird as f*ck, and I’m sometimes polished and put together.’ I think that’s the antithesis of a brand.”
Read the full feature here.
