When the first month of 2021 is coming to an end, the year already has a genuine pop phenomenon out of nowhere: Olivia Rodrigo’s driver’s license, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks and has become one of the days -per day the most broadcast songs in recent years.
Rodrigo is the star of the Disney + series “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” and “Driver’s License” is his debut single released on his own, outside the context of the program. He is an astute heir to Taylor Swift, Lorde and Alessia Cara, among others. The song also became a vector for gossip among young celebrities – it was followed by new songs from Rodrigo’s co-star and alleged ex, Joshua Bassett, and an older Disney star he was linked to, Sabrina Carpenter.
In this week’s Popcast, a conversation about the long arc of the Disney pop machine, how young women in pop are turning inward and how long it really takes someone to experience a sudden explosion of success.