'Drivers License' singer Olivia Rodrigo talks getting support from Niall Horan, Taylor Swift

Rodrigo said the instant fame "is just so surreal."

January 19, 2021, 11:22 AM

Ahead of "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series" star Olivia Rodrigo's No. 1 debut, "Drivers License," anticipated to top the Billboard Hot 100 list, the 17-year-old revealed that Niall Horan reached out to her to give some advice about sudden fame.

Rodrigo's breakup song released at the beginning of January, earned praise from Taylor Swift.

The song is popular on TikTok and shattered several streaming records on Spotify, setting the record for most single-day steams of a non-holiday song at 17 million.

"Drivers License" also landed on top of several music charts in the United Kingdom and Australia, reports Billboard. The U.S. charts will be released Saturday, Jan. 23, but predictions are already in that Rodrigo will dominate the Hot 100 as well.

The fame was sudden for the teenage actress, who recently opened up to the UK's Big Top 40 and said her instant stardom "is just so surreal."

Niall Horan and Taylor Swift perform on stage during the reputation Stadium Tour at Wembley Stadium on June 22, 2018, in London.
Gareth Cattermole/tas18/Getty Images, FILE

While she feels "grateful" for the support, she says nothing compares to landing on Swift and Horan's radar.

"The fact that [Niall] reached out to me was amazing," Rodrigo said. "We've actually been texting and he's like, giving me advice on all of the craziness in the music industry, so it's been really amazing."

She also confessed that she used to write One Direction fan fiction back when she was in middle school, adding, "Just like the cheesy, 'Oh, Harry [Styles] proposes to you!' Stuff like that... I was that die-hard of a fan."

As for how she feels about Taylor calling her "my baby," the teenager said, "That truly just made my life. I'm just her biggest fan. But yeah, it's just incredible. I truly cannot really process all of this."

Watch the music video for "Drivers License" by Olivia Rodrigo here: