Words: Charlotte Hirons

On Sunday 3rd April, Olivia Rodrigo took home her first-ever Grammy Awards due to the worldwide success of 2021album Sour. The 19-year-old won big, leaving the show with Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Pop Vocal Performance (for Drivers License) and Best New Artist. It was no surprise to fans, as they have spent the last year in awe of the singer’s ever-growing popularity as Olivia took her spot as one of the most talked-about driving forces in pop. 

As a debut album, Sour is as good as they get. Lyrically impressive and diverse with its sound, it is no surprise that the album was viewed so highly. However, Sour wasn’t the only thing fans were talking about. The recent release of the Disney Plus film driving home 2 u has captured them too. 

The music documentary takes a new, creative look at the album. Set against the vast backdrops of California, Utah and Arizona, Rodrigo performs a reinvented version of each track from Sour. Alongside her band, Rodrigo proves that though we already know her as a great singer/songwriter, she is also an excellent performer.

The track Jealousy, Jealousy gets a makeover that would be described as ‘rock’ but it suits the song so well. You almost can’t imagine it any other way. 

good 4 u gets the opposite treatment. Originally, the song is heavier than many of the others on the album, but now, gets stripped back with Rodrigo accompanied by an entire string section. Her vocals shine through alongside the music. It’s an incredible version and it’s set in the Red Rock Canyon state park in California. What more could you ask for from a performance? 

The production of Drivers License is put together through a montage of all of its previous live performances. By doing this, viewers are reminded of just how huge the song has become and the impact it has had by being Sour’s debut single. 

But what is perhaps the most impressive moment of the documentary, is the performance of Traitor. Rodrigo sits down outside a gas station and begins to create the song by looping sounds and riffs alongside her vocals. The stripped-down solo version of the song is somehow even more emotional than the original. And the way the star puts together the entire song so effortlessly really proves just how talented she is. It is an amazing way of displaying the song and only further illustrates the creativity of the film. 

Between these performances, we see Olivia Rodrigo and collaborator Dan Nigro in the studio as they put together the album. This allows us to see the writing side, as well as the production, as the album is put together. Rodrigo also talks viewers through her thought process when coming up with the concept for a song, or what that particular track means to her. It makes Rodrigo seem wise beyond her years as she describes heartbreak and her inspiration as the spectacular songwriter that she is, even at such a young age. 

If that wasn’t enough, Rodrigo’s team arranged an exclusive screening of driving home 2 u for fans beforehand. Meeting in LA, the star showed up to meet fans and talk about the film. She is an artist who seems to truly care about her fans and by creating an event like this really solidifies that, as well as building hype for the film’s release. 

Overall, Rodrigo and her team have crafted an album that is hard to ignore and even harder not to love. Her music across both Sour and driving home 2 u is breathtaking. It’s clear that there’s only more to come as Rodrigo sets out on her first-ever headline tour.

Winning three Grammy Awards for her debut album is just the beginning. Olivia Rodrigo is on top of the world and just by watching driving home 2 u, anyone can see why. 

Stream driving home 2 u on Disney Plus now.