At the beginning of January, Olivia Rodrigo (best known for her current role Nini in the Disney plus original “High School Musical the Musical: The Series”) released her first ever hit single “Drivers License” that has reached number one on all music streaming platforms including Billboard, Apple Music, Spotify, etc. By just reading the lyrics of the song you can understand the pain, sadness, dedication, love, and power she expresses as she talks about her memories with her boyfriend, and how he even taught her how to drive. When she wrote the song during the summer of 2020, she had finally got her license, but they were broken up and she did not decide until early this year to completely record and release it. Personally, I believe this pop ballad speaks to not just people who have experienced breakups, but for anyone who has lost their way, has become distant with close friends, needs to escape reality, or even just needs to sit down, relax, put on their headphones, and recollect. This song is a five out of five star rating for me!

Less than a week later, rumored boyfriend in Olivia’s song, Joshua Bassett (who is best known for playing her love interest Ricky in “High School Musical the Musical: the Series”) released a single as well called, “Lie, Lie, Lie.” After many theories and speculations later, people only assumed the responding lyrics in this pop/rock song, “I know what you say about me/I hope that it makes you happy/You can’t seem to get me off your mind” is a message to Olivia as she said, “And I just can’t imagine how you could be so okay now that I’m gone/Guess you didn’t mean what you wrote in that song about me.” Both singer/songwriters have gotten a lot of recognition and attention from fans, but Olivia said in an interview that it is not important who the song is about, but rather the message it portrays, and how it makes people feel. Joshua later responded by posting on his Instagram that the song was specifically about an old friend that betrayed him, and that he wrote it a long time ago. However, whether the song is about Olivia or not, in my opinion this four out of five star-rated single is one of the best stress relievers, and has a great rock and roll vibe where you can jam out in the car with your friends on full volume.

As another week went by, Sabrina Carpenter (actress, singer, and songwriter) released a single “Skin” that is rumored to be a comeback song against Rodrigo’s (also about Joshua Bassett). Since her and Bassett have been seen together in public a lot recently, people only assume that they are dating, and that she is the said “blonde girl” that Olivia mentions in her song. Rumors aside, Sabrina’s new single is definitely another inspiring, powerful pop ballad with lyrics that describe her true feelings and perspective. She specifically says in the song, “I just hope that one day/We both can laugh about it/When it’s not in our face/Won’t have to dance around it.” Personally, I believe this five out of five star-rated hit song is not only about overcoming and responding to a tough situation, but it is to help anyone that can relate to difficult times in their life due to miscommunications.

Overall, these three talented artists express their emotions and perspectives very creatively and clearly no matter what each song is truly about. With this, there is something for everyone to relate to whether it is through the lyrics, the melody, or even the situation. “Drivers License,” “Lie, Lie, Lie,” and “Skin” are available on all music streaming platforms, but are rated explicit for some profanity.