The new generation of pop stars is starting to make their first impressions on the music industry. The major one of them is the latest pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo, whose breakthrough single “Driver’s License” celebrated its first anniversary on Jan. 8.
Similarly to many of the current pop stars like Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, or Miley Cyrus, Rodrigo rose to fame by playing in a Disney series. Rodrigo’s role in Disney’s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, as well as the song “All I Want” she wrote specifically for it, led her to be noticed by the public, especially the younger part of it.
Soon after the premiere of the show Rodrigo signed with Interscope Records and Geffen Records. A year after, her debut single “Driver’s License” was released and instantly gained popularity.
The song quickly became a trend on social media platforms, especially TikTok. Rodrigo’s life changed in an instance, as the song went on to break several records and rose to the top of Billboard Hot 100.
Rodrigo then went on to release two more singles “Deja Vu” and “Good 4 U,” before finally releasing her strongly anticipated debut album titled “Sour.” The critically acclaimed album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and became the longest running number-one album by a female artist in 2021. The young star began to be called the voice of her generation by many critics and newspapers.
Along with the album’s success came multiple awards and award nominations, the most notable being the seven Grammy Awards nominations in the following categories: Best New Artist, Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Solo Performance, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Best Music Video.
On Dec. 6, Rodrigo announced her first international tour as a solo artist where she will sing songs from her freshman album. Joining her on the tour are guest artists Gracie Abrams, Holly Humberstone, and Baby Queen, each of them performing at different parts of the tour.
The tour will begin in North America with the support of Gracie Abrams as the special guest. Halfway through, the North American leg will then be continued with the guest appearance of Holly Humberstone. Finally, during the European leg of the tour Rodrigo will perform with Baby Queen.
The announcement was met with a lot of enthusiasm from her fans, but the situation quickly turned sour.
Soon after the initial excitement wore off, fans began to express their disappointment with the sizes of the venues at which the concerts would be held. A majority of the fans believed that because of Rodrigo’s massive success, she should pick locations that could fit tens of thousands of people.
Instead, she opted for smaller venues that can only fit a few thousand. This made the process of buying the tickets extremely difficult for fans, especially because of how many tickets were bought solely with the purpose of reselling them for a much higher price.
Many fans were met with truly brutal waitlists informing them that there were thousands of people in front of them in the queue. The tour quickly sold out, leaving some fans disappointed.
Although some fans were not happy, the situation did not leave a bad impression. In an Instagram post, Rodrigo thanked her fans and addressed the situation. “If you weren’t able to get tickets this time around, there will be more tours in the future and I can’t wait to see you then,” she said.
There is no denying that Rodrigo has made a significant impact on the industry and became one of the leading pop stars of the generation. Not many musicians can take pride in selling out an international tour and breaking so many records at such an early age.
With her debut bringing such success, her sophomore project is already anticipated by fans.
