21 for 21: Olivia Rodrigo’s most memorable moments (so far)

Over the course of three short years, Olivia Rodrigo emerged as one of the defining pop stars of the 2020s. Shortly after the melancholy “Drivers License” became a viral sensation in 2021, Rodrigo’s debut album Sour became the rarest of things: an album rooted in classic pop-rock traditions that felt startlingly fresh due to her sharply defined personality.

Sour became a commercial and critical hit, earning three Grammys in the process. Last year’s Guts may not have won any Grammys, but in every other respect it matched its predecessor. The single “Vampire” topped the chart and was a critics favorite: Robert Christgau, the Dean of American Rock Critics, placed it number one on his Best Of 2023 list.

Guts suggests that Rodrigo has a long career ahead of her but she already has plenty of memorable events in her rear view mirror. In celebration of her 21st birthday, here are 21 defining moments in Rodrigo’s supernova of a career.

1. Sour (2021)

The slow-burning “Drivers License” didn’t quite prepare listeners for what Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album Sour delivered. Anchored in the adolescent angst “Drivers License” so expertly articulated, Sour also showed a sense of stylistic daring and melodic invention. Rodrigo nodded to some of her idols—the pounding opener “Brutal” flipped a thumping riff reminiscent of Elvis Costello’s “Pump it Up,” much to the delight of the old punk rocker—but the striking thing about Sour is that the hooks and emotions all seemed fresh due to her perspective. Smart, sensitive and nervy, playing with the past but not indebted to it, Olivia Rodrigo comes across as a fully-formed 21st century icon on this bracing debut.