Olivia Rodrigo Reveals How Selena Gomez Helped Her After Branching Out From Disney
By MLC on August 12, 2021 at 7:50 PM EDT
Olivia Rodrigo is the latest Disney starlet to break into mainstream media and entertainment!
Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez are among the few women to make a name for themselves outside of the Disney Bubble, and Olivia is doing the same.
Fans of the “Driver’s License” singer know she is a die-hard Taylor Swift fan, aka a “Swiftie,” and upon releasing the debut single, many people compared her to the break-up ballad queen.
Olivia rose to fame on Disney Channel’s “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” as Nina, but in earlier this year she completely BLEW UP after releasing ‘DL.’
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Once she released her debut album “Sour,” Olivia was catapulted into the echelon of the biggest names in music such as Swift, Ed Sheeran and BTS.
With the fame comes a lot of eyes, noise and criticism. It’s not an easy world to navigate especially at 18-years-old, but lucky for Olivia, she has mentors in the music game to watch her back.
She recently opened up to Variety about the impact Selena had on her.
“I met Selena, and she was so kind,” the singer said. “She talked to me a lot about prioritizing mental health, which I think is really important in this industry. All of us were in the limelight very young. … That can be taxing on your psyche and can bring about all these weird issues.”
According to Variety, unlike Miley, Demi and Selena, Olivia opted NOT to sign with Disney Music Group’s Hollywood records. This unconventional way of transitioning from on-screen talent to musical talent is paving a new path for young Disney stars who want to break into music.
Selena recently revealed she ‘sold my life away to Disney.’
A Mouse House Princess!
In a recent interview with the Television Critics Association Sel admitted she had no idea what she was doing in her early career with Disney.
"I signed my life away to Disney at a very young age and I didn't know what I was doing," she said.
Selena continued, “But when I was a kid, I didn't know what I was doing. I was just running around on set and now I just feel like a sponge, and I soak up all the wisdom that I can.”
A major reason she took a break from TV was due in part to her time on the Mouse House channel.
She ventured out into movies and music after leaving Disney, but she will be making a triumphant return to TV in Hulu’s “Only Murders In The Building” premiering on August 31.