meta-scriptWatch Olivia Rodrigo Deliver An Emotive "Drivers License" Performance | 2022 GRAMMYs | GRAMMY.com
Watch Olivia Rodrigo Deliver An Emotive "Drivers License" Performance | 2022 GRAMMYs
Olivia Rodrigo

Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

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Watch Olivia Rodrigo Deliver An Emotive "Drivers License" Performance | 2022 GRAMMYs

The pop starlet delivered an affecting rendition of her breakout hit at the 2022 GRAMMYs. Rodrigo was already a winner before her performance, as "drivers license" — which is also up for Record and Song Of The Year — won Best Pop Solo Performance.

GRAMMYs/Apr 4, 2022 - 12:39 am

Olivia Rodrigo tugged at everyone's heartstrings at the 2022 GRAMMYs with her thrice-nominated debut single "drivers license."

The singer opened the performance (fittingly) sitting inside a vintage Mercedes-Benz car. Donning a white babydoll dress, combat boots and sparkling Euphoria-worthy eyeliner — giving nods to her love for '90s grunge and '00s pop-punk — Rodrigo’s pained vocals brought all the feels as she made her way around the stage.

Rodrigo revved up the sadness of "drivers license" with a gloomy suburban backdrop reminiscent of the song’s music video. Once the bridge kicked in, the weight of the sweeping "Red lights, stop signs" lyrics came crashing down as the stage was washed in shades of crimson and burgundy.

The song "drivers license" has had a viral stronghold on pop culture since its January 2021 debut, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for eight consecutive weeks, earning a quadruple-platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), taking over TikTok, and even being featured in a Saturday Night Live sketch.

Before her performance, Rodrigo was already a winner thanks to "drivers license," as it won Best Pop Solo Performance at the Premiere Ceremony earlier in the evening. The song scored Rodrigo three of her seven nominations — it’s also up for Record of the Year and Song Of The Year. Along with the aforementioned categories, the singer also earned nominations for Best Pop Vocal Album (SOUR), Best Music Video ("Good 4 U"), Best New Artist and Album of the Year (SOUR).

Check out the complete list of winners and nominees at the 2022 GRAMMYs.

The Meteoric Rise Of Olivia Rodrigo: How The "Drivers License" Singer Became Gen Z's Queen of Pop

Olivia Rodrigo Releases 'Guts (Spilled)' Deluxe Edition: Listen To New Song "So American" & Watch The "Obsessed" Music Video
Olivia Rodrigo performs onstage for the kick off of GUTS World Tour on Feb. 23, 2024 in Palm Springs, California.

Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Acrisure Arena

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Olivia Rodrigo Releases 'Guts (Spilled)' Deluxe Edition: Listen To New Song "So American" & Watch The "Obsessed" Music Video

In the midst of her headlining arena tour, Olivia Rodrigo delivered an extended version of her second album, 'GUTS.' Hear new song "so american" from 'GUTS (spilled)' below, along with four previously vinyl-only tracks.

GRAMMYs/Mar 22, 2024 - 01:15 pm

Seven months after Olivia Rodrigo unleashed her highly anticipated second studio album, she spilled her GUTS even further on March 22: GUTS (spilled) deluxe edition is here.

Rodrigo diehards may know four of the five deluxe tracks, which were previously only available on vinyl editions of GUTS: "obsessed," "stranger," "scared of my guitar," and "girl i've always been." But the deluxe version doesn't come without an unreleased track — the fifth, "so american," is brand new, and closes out GUTS (spilled).

"Obsessed" even got the video treatment, with the official music video dropping at the same time as the deluxe album. Therein, she’s the black sheep among a litany of pageant queens, representing exes: Rodrigo’s sash reads "Miss Right Now." The chorus — "I’m so obsessed with your ex!" detonates with a full rock band.

Rodrigo will even be able to celebrate the arrival of GUTS (spilled) with fans, too. The GUTS World Tour stops Columbus, Ohio, on March 22 — almost exactly a month after it launched in Thousand Palms, California, on Feb. 23. As of press time, the tour (which marks Rodrigo's first headlining arena trek) will feature 77 shows across North America and Europe; it wraps with four nights at Los Angeles' Kia Forum on Aug. 13, 14, 16, and 17.

Before the tour began, GUTS helped Rodrigo earn six more GRAMMY nominations. In addition to a nod for Album Of The Year, the pop-punk princess received nominations for Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance for "Vampire," Best Rock Song for "Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl," and Best Pop Vocal Album.

Prior to the 2024 GRAMMYs, Rodrigo was already a three-time winner, taking home Best New Artist, Best Pop Vocal Album (SOUR) and Best Pop Solo Performance ("drivers license") in 2022.

Listen to GUTS (spilled) below, watch the "Obsessed" video above, and keep checking back for news about Olivia Rodrigo!

GRAMMY Rewind: Watch Doja Cat & SZA Tearfully Accept Their First GRAMMYs For "Kiss Me More"
(L-R) Doja Cat and SZA at the 2022 GRAMMYs.

Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

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GRAMMY Rewind: Watch Doja Cat & SZA Tearfully Accept Their First GRAMMYs For "Kiss Me More"

Relive the moment the pair's hit "Kiss Me More" took home Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, which marked the first GRAMMY win of their careers.

GRAMMYs/Mar 1, 2024 - 06:11 pm

As Doja Cat put it herself, the 2022 GRAMMYs were a "big deal" for her and SZA.

Doja Cat walked in with eight nominations, while SZA entered the ceremony with five. Three of those respective nods were for their 2021 smash "Kiss Me More," which ultimately helped the superstars win their first GRAMMYs.

In this episode of GRAMMY Rewind, revisit the night SZA and Doja Cat accepted the golden gramophone for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance — a milestone moment that Doja Cat almost missed.

"Listen. I have never taken such a fast piss in my whole life," Doja Cat quipped after beelining to the stage. "Thank you to everybody — my family, my team. I wouldn't be here without you, and I wouldn't be here without my fans."

Before passing the mic to SZA, Doja also gave a message of appreciation to the "Kill Bill" singer: "You are everything to me. You are incredible. You are the epitome of talent. You're a lyricist. You're everything."

SZA began listing her praises for her mother, God, her supporters, and, of course, Doja Cat. "I love you! Thank you, Doja. I'm glad you made it back in time!" she teased.

"I like to downplay a lot of s— but this is a big deal," Doja tearfully concluded. "Thank you, everybody."

Press play on the video above to hear Doja Cat and SZA's complete acceptance speech for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 2022 GRAMMY Awards, and check back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of GRAMMY Rewind.

How 'SOS' Transformed SZA Into A Superstar & Solidified Her As The Vulnerability Queen

4 Ways Olivia Rodrigo's GUTS World Tour Shows A New Side Of The Pop Princess
Olivia Rodrigo performs during her GUTS World Tour opening in Palm Springs on Feb. 23, 2024.

Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Acrisure Arena

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4 Ways Olivia Rodrigo's GUTS World Tour Shows A New Side Of The Pop Princess

Olivia Rodrigo not only boasts a luminous performance on her first-ever arena tour, but also showcases an undiluted moment of self-expression.

GRAMMYs/Feb 26, 2024 - 11:02 pm

Since releasing her debut single three years ago, Olivia Rodrigo has not shown any signs of slowing down. And with a sold-out arena tour underway, the three-time GRAMMY winner is keeping that momentum going in awe-inspiring fashion.

As the GUTS World Tour — Rodrigo's first headlining arena trek — kicked off at Palm Springs' Acrisure Arena on Feb. 23, the pop star immersed fans with a dedicated space to examine the moments when you feel unpretty, never have the perfect perfume, or can't help being unapologetically feral. Blooming under a full, Pisces moon, Olivia Rodrigo's luminous performance marked an undiluted moment of self-expression. 

Toeing the line between fragile girlhood and brutal adulthood, Rodrigo was unafraid to embrace the Olivia who once was and who is becoming. And as a result, she unleashed a fresh, freer side of herself — one she's ready to share with the world.

Below, read through four ways Olivia Rodrigo's Guts World Tour unveiled a liberated version of the chart-topping superstar.

She's Unafraid To Celebrate Herself

What makes Rodrigo's GUTS Tour magnificent is it's less about the finer details — like massive sets or onstage collaborations — and more so about her journey since her rise to fame. Rodrigo's honest examination of herself was refreshingly lethal in the zeitgeist of pop music's increasingly formulaic state. In 90 minutes, the show's comparably straightforward set list made sure the album's focus on autonomy was central, woven with her simultaneously intimate and acute insights. 

At the start of the show, the backdrop displayed perfectly arranged lit candles spelling out her album's title. Before singing "teenage dream," she proclaimed, "I just turned 21!" (her birthday was Feb. 20). "I'm really f—cking excited about it. I went to the gas station the other day and bought a pack of cigarettes!" As she fervently played the piano, she reminisced about writing the song, noting that she penned it ahead of her last birthday as a teenager, "when I was really afraid of growing up," she admitted to the crowd. 

All throughout her melodic existential crisis, a video of her younger self was projected onto the screen. She ended the song with an audio of herself as a child, someone off camera asking her to introduce herself; it was so emblematic of the blitheness youth often brings. And though she recently celebrated a young adult milestone, it was still rather jarring to hear her youthful voice deliver the track's heavy lyrics. 

The next two songs served up a mix of painful vulnerability and complete release. Some of the most painful sentiments of GUTS' "pretty isn't pretty" — "I started to skip lunch, stopped eating cake on birthdays," for one — were the lines the audience most enthusiastically sang along to. After hefty musings, it made perfect sense for her to transition to "love is embarrassing," where she allowed herself to let loose. Prancing around on stage, she held up a big "L" to her forehead before laughing and stomping out flailing choreography. The track ended with all of her backup dancers bent over, shimmying their derrieres as Rodrigo sent a shimmering wink to showgoers.

Rodrigo allowed seriousness and silliness to exist simultaneously, and it was clear that every single person in the crowd felt heard. It made the night all the more special, knowing even a star whose impact is nearly immeasurable can also "feel like s—" on their birthday — and it was entirely ok

Olivia Rodrigo at the 2024 GUTS World Tour

*Olivia Rodrigo at the opening night of the GUTS World Tour on Feb. 23 | Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Acrisure Arena*

She's Signaling Her Evolution While Honoring Her Past

Fans who have known Rodrigo since her starring role in the Disney Channel series Bizaardvark have met many iterations of Olivia Rodrigo: The one who made palatable Disney Channel music, the one breaking ground with her sound, the one unafraid to embrace her pop-punk propensity. The show underscored her evolution as an artist, while being unafraid to make references to her past. 

She unabashedly looked back to past Olivia in a quietly powerful performance of "All I Want," a track she wrote when starring on Disney+'s "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series." Despite the glamour of her propelling fame, Rodrigo absolutely refused to be anybody but herself throughout her time on the show. "I was literally peeing my pants on the set" while demonstrating her lyrics to the showrunners, she professes, laughing and shaking her head as she sat on the ground, with nothing but a guitar player backing her silken vocals.  

It was a decidedly striking move to reference her squeakier past in a more simplistic form — especially because, as the concert progressed, her performance only became more and more complex and risqué. In a daring act, the dazzling purple backdrop ignited as fallen candles virtually burned everything in sight and, through the ashes, emerged something a bit darker. Now clad in a bold, red jumpsuit, Rodrigo delivered the GUTS hidden track "obsessed" while balanced on top of a glass floor, thrusting her hips into the air and screaming into the backdrop. 

Though her vocal delivery was nearly identical to the studio versions of her songs, what made the show all the more mesmerizing was how deeply she felt each and every one of her lines. Even more so than her vulnerability, the fury Rodrigo fully embraced throughout the show was perhaps one of the most freeing aspects of it. 

Snatching her purple guitar with unhindered passion, she whipped her hair and fell to the floor while thrumming along to "brutal," to match her guitarist beat-for-beat in intensity. In another audacious move, Rodrigo even grabbed a drumstick out of her drummer's hand and began whacking the drums as well, throwing the stick into the air after the final beat. 

During an almost-required lyric change on "all american b—," she sang she's grabbing her "all-American tits" rather than just her "all-American hips," — which, of course, necessitated an aggressive chest clench. In one of the most memorable moments of the night, Rodrigo asked the crowd to think of someone who "really pisses them off" and commanded everyone to scream as loud as they could. Shutting off the lights, the arena was filled with nothing but raw yodels and screams into the void — and it was glorious. 

As the stakes have gradually become higher and higher, Rodrigo's performances came down to something easily decipherable: shameless joy with a side of defiance. 

Chappell Roan at the 2024 GUTS World Tour

*Chappell Roan at the opening night of the GUTS World Tour on Feb. 23 | Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Acrisure Arena*

She's Highlighting Diverse Talent Front & Center

Rodrigo's choice of supporting acts further display her understanding of dynamic artistry, as buzzing pop and indie acts Chappell Roan, The Breeders, PinkPantheress and Remi Wolf will rotate through the opening slot. Roan is support for the first stretch, and her set underscored the meaning of a true pop princess in the making. 

Delivering flawless vocals and addicting charisma, Roan proved she knows how to serve a memorable performance. As she skipped through the stage and clutched her guitarist while hitting an immaculate high note during "My Kink Is Karma," it was clear that Roan is ready for her arrival as pop royalty. 

Nothing about her performance screamed rookie; if anything, it was a masterclass in how to take up space. When she belted, "Oh mama, I'm just having fun on the stage in my heels. It's where I belong!" from the outstanding single "Pink Pony Club," she jumped into the air, pure bliss emanating all the way from head to her sparkly, silver boot-clad toes.

Olivia Rodrigo at the 2024 GUTS World Tour

*Olivia Rodrigo at the opening night of the GUTS World Tour on Feb. 23 | Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Acrisure Arena*

Her Community Of Fans Is Unmatched — And She's Here For It

Despite what was going on onstage, Rodrigo's show made it clear that her authenticity has helped her build quite the loyal following. Along with scream-singing the majority of the set list, fans were dressed to the nines, some adorning elaborate recreations of her music video and performance outfits. 

Her fellow Pisces were celebrating their birthdays, wearing Olivia Rodrigo-themed sashes — some turning 13, some 30. All around the arena, fans ran up to one another wishing each other happy birthdays, asking how the other made a certain outfit. Bows, à la Sandy Liang, were sprinkled throughout the crowd, and even became an integral part of Rodrigo's choreography during "lacy." 

At the surface, it's easy to dismiss Rodrigo's fandom — especially given her more sanitized, mainstream roots in the industry. Navigating through the crowd, you would hear disgruntled murmurs from security staff, dismissing everyone as just "an annoying group of 14 year old girls" — despite the diversity the audience actually boasted. 

Despite it all, Rodrigo became a beacon of acceptance. Suspended above the audience on a crescent moon during GUTS' "logical" and SOUR's "enough for you" — one of the more poignant moments of the show — she took the time to shout out and get closer to those in the nosebleed sections. "I see you!" she belted out, later taking the time to shine the camera on cute couples and exquisite ensembles during her set. Those three words are precisely why Rodrigo's music has such wide appeal — she speaks to those who have felt easily discarded, like they were too much, too loud, too brash. 

The night ended with star-shaped confetti floating down to the crowd after a buoyant performance of "get him back!" As the clean-up crew unleashed industrial sized vacuums on the streamers, young fans scrambled about, giggling as they tried to grab as many as possible to bring home, some sticking them in their hair as they leapt about the emptying arena. 

Olivia Rodrigo's superpower is her acute ability to make these painful feelings of girlhood feel so uniting. In between the heartbreak and growing pains is this ephemeral moment of unguarded joy, and she brought it all to the GUTS World Tour. 

2024 GRAMMYs: Watch Olivia Rodrigo Bleed Her Soul Dry With Dramatic "Vampire" Performance

GRAMMY Rewind: Watch Baby Keem Celebrate "Family Ties" During Best Rap Performance Win In 2022
Baby Keem (left) at the 2022 GRAMMYs.

Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

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GRAMMY Rewind: Watch Baby Keem Celebrate "Family Ties" During Best Rap Performance Win In 2022

Revisit the moment budding rapper Baby Keem won his first-ever gramophone for Best Rap Performance at the 2022 GRAMMY Awards for his Kendrick Lamar collab "Family Ties."

GRAMMYs/Feb 23, 2024 - 05:50 pm

For Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar, The Melodic Blue was a family affair. The two cousins collaborated on three tracks from Keem's 2021 debut LP, "Range Brothers," "Vent," and "Family Ties." And in 2022, the latter helped the pair celebrate a GRAMMY victory.

In this episode of GRAMMY Rewind, turn the clock back to the night Baby Keem accepted Best Rap Performance for "Family Ties," marking the first GRAMMY win of his career.

"Wow, nothing could prepare me for this moment," Baby Keem said at the start of his speech.

He began listing praise for his "supporting system," including his family and "the women that raised me and shaped me to become the man I am."

Before heading off the stage, he acknowledged his team, who "helped shape everything we have going on behind the scenes," including Lamar. "Thank you everybody. This is a dream."

Baby Keem received four nominations in total at the 2022 GRAMMYs. He was also up for Best New Artist, Best Rap Song, and Album Of The Year as a featured artist on Kanye West's Donda.

Press play on the video above to watch Baby Keem's complete acceptance speech for Best Rap Performance at the 2022 GRAMMYs, and check back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of GRAMMY Rewind.

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