It's Olivia Rodrigo's World

‘Drivers License’ is an instant classic — but chances are that’s only the beginning for a songwriter in full command of pop’s history and future

- ROB SHEFFIELD

Olivia Rodrigo could have been designed in a laboratory as the perfect teen pop star — except the best part is how gloriously, messily, authentically human she is. She’s a whole new pop-queen paradigm, ripping up the old playbook and starting again. She seemingly blew in out of nowhere to hit Number One with her instant-classic debut single, “Drivers License.” It’s one of the all time great debuts — yet somehow the sequel, “Deja Vu,” is even better? And it’s about taunting her ex about how they used to bond over listening to Billy Joel? Who had his last hit 10 years before Olivia Rodrigo was born?