1/8/2026

The singer also revealed she "cried" when she first heard David Byrne's cover of "Drivers License."

Olivia Rodrigo at the Fifth Annual Academy Museum Gala held at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on Oct. 18, 2025, in Los Angeles. Gilbert Flores/Variety

Olivia Rodrigo knows that her debut single has served her well, which is why she says it’ll always be on her concert setlists.

On the five-year anniversary of breakout hit “Drivers License,” the pop star paid tribute to the ballad that made her a near-overnight sensation in 2021. “This song has totally changed my life in ways I still can’t totally wrap my head around,” she wrote Thursday (Jan. 8) on Instagram. “I’m forever grateful for this magical chapter.”

“I can’t wait to scream red lights stop signs with u guys at every concert I play for the rest of my life!” she continued, quoting the lyrics to the eight-week Billboard Hot 100 No. 1’s bridge.

Rodrigo was just 17 years old when “Drivers License” dropped, making her the youngest artist to ever debut atop the Hot 100 chart. Sharing photos from the time period, the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series star added, “looking back at these pics I feel like I look like a baby but it also feels like just yesterday lol.”

In honor of the song’s anniversary, Rodrigo released a version of “Drivers License” performed by David Byrne on Thursday. In a follow-up post, the Gen-Z star called him one of her “all-time heroes” and revealed that she “actually cried” when she heard his take on the ballad. Rodrigo previously brought out the Talking Heads founder during her 2025 Governors Ball headlining set to cover “Burning Down the House.”

Rodrigo also announced that Byrne’s cover is the first of several that fans will hear in the coming weeks. “SOUR is turning 5 years old this year!” she wrote. “and to celebrate, i’m so excited to announce an upcoming series of reimagined SOUR covers from some of my favorite artists ever.”

But while she’ll always love “Drivers License,” Rodrigo did tell The Los Angeles Times a few years ago that there are some songs in her catalog she doesn’t “really love so much anymore.”