Olivia RodrigoIt might seem like a song released just yesterday, but American pop star Olivia Rodrigo is celebrating the fifth anniversary of her hit single, drivers license.
Rodrigo’s debut single is a minimalist power ballad that dropped on 8 January 2021. Launching her music career and the lead single from her debut album, SOUR, Rodrigo went on to win Best Pop Solo Performance at the 2022 Grammy Awards with drivers license.
The song broke Spotify’s record for the most single-day streams for a non-holiday song, a milestone achieved on its fourth day of release. She became the youngest artist ever to top the Billboard Hot 100 and spent six weeks at #1 in the US. Rodrigo also spent multiple weeks at #1 in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the UK.
Commemorating the hit single’s fifth anniversary and its life-changing impact on her life, Rodrigo has unveiled a cover by Talking Heads’ David Byrne, who is touring Australia this month, and described him as “one of my all-time heroes.” She also hinted at more covers to come in the lead-up to the fifth anniversary celebrations of SOUR (21 May 2026).
“SOUR is turning 5 years old this year! and to celebrate, i’m so excited to announce an upcoming series of reimagined SOUR covers from some of my favorite artists ever,” Rodrigo wrote on Instagram. She continued, “we’re starting off insanely strong with an incredible reworking of ‘drivers license’ from one of my all-time heroes, David Byrne.”
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“David is nothing short of a legend and I actually cried when I heard his version of this song,” she wrote. “You can stream it now or pre order a 7 inch vinyl with his cover and our version of ‘Burning Down The House’ from gov ball. I’m stoked!! Go give it a listen.”
In another post, Rodrigo acknowledged the song’s longstanding impact on her career. “happy 5 years of drivers license!!! looking back at these pics I feel like I look like a baby but it also feels like just yesterday lol.”
“this song has totally changed my life in ways I still can’t totally wrap my head around,” she explained. “I’m forever grateful for this magical chapter and I can’t wait to scream red lights stop signs with u guys at every concert I play for the rest of my life! happy birthday DL.”
Fans can pre-order the 7-inch vinyl commemorating drivers license and her performance with Byrne of Burning Down The House at last year’s Gov Ball festival here.
Olivia Rodrigo brought her sold-out GUTS World Tour to Australia in October 2024. Reviewing her show at Rod Laver Arena in 2024, The Music’s Christopher Lewis declared that Rodrigo was the “complete package” and commented on her confidence and “masterful” performance abilities.
