Olivia Rodrigo talks about 'identity crisis' at 14 while filming for Disney channel
Apr 27, 2021
Washington [US], April 27 : After making her debut on the cover of a major magazine, Hollywood star Olivia Rodrigo recently discussed her skyrocketing career, the difficulties of making it as a child star, and the inspiration behind her songwriting.
Rodrigo, who started gaining recognition at the age of 14 while starring on 'Bizaardvark' on Disney Channel, said that time in her life was very lonely, according to People magazine.
Stating that she had "an identity crisis on steroids," even if she bonded with her costar Madison Hu, whom she describes as "literally my soul mate," Rodrigo said, "It's a multicamera sitcom, so literally every set is within a yard of each other. You just walk to the different sets."
She recalled asking herself, "Who the f-- am I? Who cares about me? How do I treat people? Most 14-year-olds aren't in a room with adults being like, 'So, what's your brand?'"
Although she was going through a lonely time while filming 'Bizaardvark', she had already started to discover her passion.
In the interview, Rodrigo recalled "literally crying" before going to piano lessons as a 9-year-old, although those lessons ended up leading her to her true love, songwriting. "I realized that songwriting was something that people do, and it's a craft," she said.
Rodrigo's voice lesson instructor Jennifer Dustman said she "had chills from head to toe" hearing the young star perform her own track at such a young age. "I thought, Okay, she's a songwriter. That's it."
It's her songwriting skills that have propelled the 'High School Musical: The Musical: The Series' star to new heights after she dropped 'Drivers License' in January, even if she was worried that she was "never going to write a song as good as that again." Rodrigo said, "This song has given me a lot of confidence in my voice."
She further added, "I think songwriting has really helped me home in on what I like about myself and my art. I just want to be effortless, I guess ... Whether it's in my fashion or my songs or my social media, I want to just be like, 'Yo, this is me. And I'm sometimes weird as f---, and I'm sometimes polished and put together."
As per People magazine, during the interview, she also gave a glimpse at her "bedroom songwriting oasis". Her room featured a "shrine" of some of her favorite songwriters, Taylor Swift, Gwen Stefani, Alanis Morissette and Gracie Abrams. It was also home to a guitar, electric keyboard and a whiteboard filled with song titles.