Olivia Rodrigo became a huge celebrity when her song "Driving License" came out in 2021, and she was just 18 years old. It is a huge responsibility for such a girl. Now exactly a year later, she has been nominated for seven Grammy Awards. How does she handle all that attention? It helps that she has two parents who are incredibly supportive of their daughter.
Rodrigo was raised as an only child in Temecula, California. Born in 2003, if you can believe it, she was seriously talented right out of the gate. Her parents gave her acting and singing lessons when she was just 6 years old and was performing in local theaters soon after. By the age of 18, she became a household name with her Grammy-nominated song "Driver's License," perhaps surprising everyone but the two people who knew her best. Her parents, Ronald and Sofia Rodrigo. So here's what you need to know about the star's biggest fans.
She is proud of Dad Ronald's Filipino heritage.
Ronald Rodrigo is a family doctor whose grandfather immigrated to the United States alone when he was just a teenager. Rodrigo shared his family story on Disney Channel's YouTube page in honor of Asian Pacific American Month. "My heritage is a part of who I am. I am part of Filipina on my father's side of the family," she explained. "My Filipino heritage comes from my great-grandfather. He came from the Philippines on a boat when he was just a teenager."
Olivia said in the same video that she believes she inherited a lot of the traits from her family. For example, "My parents, they taught me to be kind and respectful and to always do the right thing."
She was homeschooled by mother Sophia.
Rodrigo's mother, Sofia, was a schoolteacher, something that probably came in handy when she was homeschooling her daughter. Rodrigo opened up about homeschooling in an interview with Glamour, admitting that it helped him during the lockdown. "You know what, I'm a homeschool kid, so I'm used to being in my house on my laptop, but with my parents," she told the magazine. "So I've been preparing for this moment for a while and I feel very fortunate to be able to say that I'm in a really good place."
Her parents taught her piano and she did not love them.
Rodrigo told MTV UK that her parents taught her piano when she was young and that she hated it. “I took my first proper piano lessons when I was probably 9 years old, and I hated it. I would cry before every lesson.”
Luckily, things went well for him in the end. "But, in the end, I'm so glad I was forced to attend piano lessons because I use the skills I was taught every day. Playing the piano is one of my favorite things now, so [I'm] grateful that my parents forced me to do this."
Her mother contributed to the "driving license".
The next time you hear "driving license," pay close attention to the sound of the car in the background. They were contributions to Sofia. "We made it using the sound of my mom's car and put it out there," Rodrigo told MTV. Even Rodrigo's parents' car supports his career. Wonderful.