During Olivia Rodrigo’s star-studded Los Angeles premiere on Thursday (March 24) for her brand new Disney+ film, Olivia Rodrigo: Driving Home 2 U (A Sour Film), attendees were taken on a musical road trip as viewers journeyed with Rodrigo through the making of her debut album.
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Bandmates and friends of Rodrigo’s such as The Kid LAROI, Busy Phillips, Blu Detiger, Towa Bird, Petra Collins and Kevin McHale all walked the purple carpet prior to the showing.
The film follows the “Brutal” singer from Salt Lake City where Rodrigo first began writing Sour to Los Angeles. As we follow the artist through the desert she recounts all of her deepest emotions as she was processing her first heartbreak, shares specially produced performances of each of the tracks featured on the album and reveals behind-the-scenes footage of herself in the studio with producer and songwriter Dan Nigro.
Rodrigo and Nigro discuss how their working relationship first came about. The producer discovered Olivia after hearing “Happier.” “I remember posting the song ‘Happier’ online, and looking back on it and being like, ‘Oh my God, this song is terrible,'” Olivia explained early on in the film. “It got no likes. I sang it terribly. ‘Why did I do that?’ But I had this gut feeling to keep it up. That feeling served me well because that song changed everything for me.” She added, “The fact that I posted it was the reason that I met Dan because he found it and was like, ‘Oh my God, I love this song. We should work together.’ That was the first song we produced together.”
Driving Home 2 U serves as an open letter to fans who have been curious about the soul behind Rodrigo’s first full-length project, and reveals new facts that the artist has never discussed before. For example, Olivia lets fans in on the making of her opening track “Brutal.” She and Nigro revealed that the song was written just five days before the record’s tracklist was due to be released. The song was born out of Olivia’s desire to include “one more upbeat song on the record.”
Throughout the film, fans are shown incredible aerial shots of Rodrigo’s scenic desert drive, and along the way the songstress delivers mind-blowing renditions of songs like “Jealousy Jealousy,” “Traitor,” “Favorite Crime,” and “Good 4 U.” During the artist’s “Good 4 U” performance a round mirrored stage is set up against the dramatic backdrop of California’s Red Rock Canyon State Park. Rodrigo turns the angsty song into a melodramatic power ballad as she and a full orchestra fill the breathtaking desert landscape with song.
To see all of Rodrigo’s desert-drenched performances and making it to her final destination in Malibu, Olivia Rodrigo: Driving Home 2 U (A Sour Film) is now available for streaming on Disney+.
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