Taylor Swift Passes the Torch to Olivia Rodrigo with a Special Gift from ‘Red’

In an epic breakthrough year for singer, Olivia Rodrigo, the 18-year-old singer’s debut single “Driver’s License” slipped onto the iTunes All-genre chart right below Taylor Swift’s two bonus tracks from Evermore (2020): “It’s Time To Go” and “Right Where You Left Me.”

Rodrigo, self-proclaimed as Swift’s “biggest fan,” shared her excitement on social media, posting “next to Taylor on the us i tunes chart i’m in a puddle of tears.” Swift’s unexpected response—”I say that’s my baby and I’m really proud”— spurred their newfound friendship, despite the more than a decade between the two prolific artists.

“She is absolutely the kindest individual in the whole world,” Rodrigo told SiriusXM Hits in a March interview. “I got a package from her with this like handwritten note. And she gave me this ring, because she said she wore one just like it when she wrote Red and she wanted me to have one like it. All of this amazing stuff, she like hand-wrapped these gifts.”

Rodrigo kept the content of the note private. But in an interview with Billboard, she suggested Swift shared a bit of sage wisdom for the breakthrough pop icon—”you make your own luck in the world. And when you do kind things to others, good things come your way.”

On May 11, the two finally met in person after performing at the 2021 BRIT Awards.

In April, Rodrigo released her second single, “Deja Vu” ahead of her debut album SOUR, released May 21 via Geffen Records.

On June 18, Swift announced that Red will be the next album in her pursuit of re-recording her entire career masters. With Fearless under her belt, the artist shared on social media that the new edition of the 2012 album on November 19, 2021. Red (Taylor’s Version) will feature “all 30 songs that were meant to go on [the original album].” She added, “And hey, one of them is even ten minutes long.”