A ‘Star Wars’ Celebrity’s Child Inspired Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Drivers License’
Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” evokes a lot of things but Star Wars isn’t really one of them. However, the daughter of a celebrity associated with the Star Wars franchise helped inspire Rodrigo to write “Drivers License.” Here’s a look at what Rodrigo had to say about the situation.
How the child of a ‘Star Wars’ celebrity reacted when she learned she inspired Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Drivers License’
During an interview with Zane Lowe of Apple Music, Rodrigo discussed an artist she greatly admires. “One of my favorite artists and one of the coolest people ever is Gracie Abrams, who just came out with her debut EP a couple months ago,” she explained. “It’s called Minor and she’s absolutely amazing, love that entire record.”
Rodrigo discussed communicating with Abrams. “She’s signed to my same record label, so they’re like, ‘Oh, we’ll have you meet,’” she said. “And I’m like, ‘I literally don’t think I can meet her. I think I would just evaporate. I’m her biggest fan.’ I’ve heard the best things, and I’ve been DMing her on Instagram and I told her that ‘Drivers License’ was so inspired by her and she’s like, ‘Oh, that’s amazing.’”
Abrams has a unique connection to the Star Wars franchise. Her father is J. J. Abrams, who is known for directing Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. In addition, he served as an executive producer on Star Wars: The Last Jedi and the television show Lost, which includes several references to Star Wars.
Does being the daughter of a ‘Star Wars’ director influence Gracie Abrams?
It’s difficult to find an article on Gracie that doesn’t discuss her father’s work. However, Gracie doesn’t seem to make a big deal out of it. During an interview with Vice, she said “honestly, the most fun thing about my dad’s job was when he left it to chaperone my first time at Coachella.”
One might assume that Gracie’s unique background as the daughter of a Star Wars superstar would influence her music, but Al Newstead of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation says this isn’t the case. “I assume I’m like every other artist of any medium, it’s like, all we can really do is tap into what we’re really feeling,” Gracie said. “I saw Charli XCX posting on Instagram about how she’s making an album in quarantine called How I’m Feeling Now.” Abrams wishes she came up with the title to use for one of her albums.
Is Gracie Abrams influential outside inspiring Olvia Rodrigo’s ‘Drivers License?’
Clearly, Abrams’ EP Minor meant a lot to Rodrigo. However, the EP didn’t chart on the Billboard 200 and none of Gracie’s singles charted on the Billboard Hot 100. “Drivers License” became a huge hit, so Abrams had an impact on the world of music — just not directly.
