Olivia Rodrigo only turned the legal age of 18 three months ago.
And already, the California native has scored a No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart with her debut studio effort, Sour.
It sold the equivalent of 295,000 album units in the U.S. in the week ending May 27, according to MRC Data, which is the biggest week for an album in 2021.
Tops! Olivia Rodrigo’s debut studio album, Sour, took over the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200
Taylor Swift had held the title for biggest week for an album this year with her release of Taylor Swift’s Fearless (Taylor’s Version).
Rodrigo’s Sour also had a huge streaming week with it being the second-largest in numbers ever for a non-R&B/hip-hop album, and second-biggest for an album of any genre by a female artist.
Plus, the album scored the largest week, by units, for an artist’s debut charting effort since the Billboard 200 transitioned from an album-sales only ranking to an equivalent album units-based chart on the December 13, 2014 survey, according to Billboard.
Rodrigo is also the first woman to see her debut charting album open at No. 1 since Cardi B’s album Invasion of Privacy in 2018.
Hit: Sour was released on May 21 and quickly shot to No. 1 in several countries
Success: Rodrigo’s Sour also had a huge streaming week with it being the second-largest in numbers ever for a non-R&B/hip-hop album, and second-biggest for an album of any genre by a female artist
Three singles preceded Sour’s release, all of which reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.
Initially, Rodrigo saw her star rise as a mainstream artist when the first single, Drivers License, shot to the top of the Hot 100 chart.
It was followed by Deja Vu, which reached number 8, making her the first artist in the chart’s history to debut their first two singles inside the top 10.
The third single, Good 4 U, would also hit No. 1, marking the first time a debut album had ever spawned two No. 1 debuts on the chart.
The album was produced by Dan Nigro and consists of 11 songs, most of which he co-wrote with Rodrigo. Nigro has recently written and produced for Conan Gray, Carly Rae Jepsen, Sky Ferreira, Empress Of, Lewis Capaldi, as well as Kylie Minogue and Kimbra.
Tops: Two singles off Sour, Drivers License and Good 4 U, hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100
Collaborator: Rodrigo co-wrote most of the 11 songs on Sour with the album’s producer Dan Nigro; the duo are pictured in the recording studio
The subject matter explores her perils and discoveries as a teenager, with its title referring to the uncomfortable ‘sour’ emotions youth experience but are often criticized for, such as anger, jealousy and unhappiness.
Sour topped both the albums and singles chart simultaneously in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway and the UK, and has also reached number one in the Netherlands, Scotland and Sweden.
Just two days ago, after shooting to No. 1 in several countries, the California native took to Instagram to give thanks to fans all over the world.
‘Thank u to everyone who listened to SOUR. This has truly been the coolest week of my life. So so so grateful,’ she gushed in the caption of a series of images.
Rodrigo got her big break in the entertainment industry as an actress, which included her roles in the Disney Channel’s Bizaardvark (2016) and Disney+’s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (2019).
Humbled: The California native shared a heavy dose of gratitude while thanking her team for helping make her debut album a reality