Olivia Rodrigo’s star is on the rise, and fans of the young artist’s work are following her career with rapt attention.
The young singer, songwriter, and actress has had a surprisingly robust career thus far despite her age. At only 18 years old, Rodrigo’s film and television career already spans years, thanks to her early start in commercials and film. Her first ever on-screen appearance saw Rodrigo star in an Old Navy commercial in her early teens, a role which soon allowed her to expand her influence.
Soon after her breakout Old Navy commercial aired, Rodrigo starred in a direct-to-DVD film titled An American Girl: Grace Stirs Up Success. She was only eleven or twelve at the time, but the film helped boost Rodrigo enough to land her a lasting role on the Disney Channel. She portrayed guitarist Paige Olvera in Disney series Bizaardvark for three years, beginning in 2016, before her career took off on Disney Plus.
It is her role in the mockumentary musical series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series that truly rocketed Rodrigo to mainstream popularity. She plays the leading character, Nini Salazar-Roberts, in the popular youthful drama and contributed to a number of the series’ top tracks. She and co-star Joshua Bassett wrote “Just for a Moment” as a duo, and she tacked “All I Want” all on her own.
Rodrigo’s “magnetic” performance in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series helped push the young star into genuine fame, and paved the way for her burgeoning musical career. After she stepped into the role in 2019, she released her debut single, “Drivers License,” which broke several records on Spotify. Her follow-up single, “Deja Vu,” was similarly popular, as was her debut album, Sour, which was released in May of 2021.
The massive success Rodrigo has found at such a young age has boosted her income to nearly unthinkable levels for someone under 20 years old. Her personal wealth is estimated to land somewhere around $6 million in 2021, according to estimates from Exact Net Worth, thanks to her numerous acting roles and popular musical contributions. This number fails to account for several potential factors, however, including sales from her online store, which is located on her website and sells a number of cleverly targeted products.
Leaning into the retro vibes her album works to exude, her merchandise aims to target both nostalgia among older audiences and a callback to earlier times for her younger fans. It sells oversized sweatpants and hoodies alongside cassette tapes⏤who even has a cassette player anymore?⏤vinyl albums, themed conversation hearts, simple beaded bracelets, and safety pin earrings. Between her merch sales and the brilliant potential her future career holds, its likely that $6 million is just the tip of the iceberg for Rodrigo.