Olivia Rodrigo is one of the biggest teen pop stars of 2021 and deservingly so. In fact, in June of 2021, she broke Taylor Swift’s record becoming the first woman to have eight songs charting on Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart. While Rodrigo has definitely reached international success with her debut album SOUR, the singer was also successful before that.

In fact, Rodrigo is more than just a singer, she’s also an actress. She got her start after appearing in an Old Navy commercial which led to her joining the Disney family. While Rodrigo has been successful in branding her music away from Disney, she also has strong ties to the company. That includes some iconic roles and memories thanks to the House of Mouse.

10 Cast On Bizaardvark

After appearing in the Old Navy commercial and later a direct-to-video American Girl, Rodrigo landed the role of a lifetime on the brand new Disney Channel series Bizaardvark in 2016. Rodrigo played Paige Olvera, a talented teen guitarist who posted fun YouTube videos with her best friend.

The series ran for three seasons on Disney Channel and even aired a handful of shorts. Rodrigo starred on the show for all three seasons which cemented her status as a Disney Channel.

9 Sang On The 2017 A Very Merry Disney Christmas Album

It didn’t take long for Disney to learn of Rodrigo’s talented singing skills. After only a year with the company, Rodrigo got the opportunity to be featured on A Very Merry Disney Christmas, a Christmas-themed compilation album featuring several Disney Channel artists.

Rodrigo sang “Let It Glow,” a slightly different version of the iconic Frozen song “Let It Go.” Also featured in the track was Madison Hu, Rodrigo’s Bizaardvark costar.

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8 Cast In The Lead Role In High School Musical: The Musical: The Series

Rodrigo really cemented her Disney Channel star status when she was cast as Nini Salazar-Robertson in the Disney+ original series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series in 2019. The series, which is half meta-comedy and half mockumentary, follows a new group of East High drama kids as they put on a production of High School Musical under the direction of their new drama teacher.

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Rodrigo’s character Nini gets cast as Gabriella Montez, the iconic role originated by Vanessa Hudgens. The show instantly became a hit for Disney+ and helped establish Rodrigo as a rising star to watch.

7 Performed In The 2019 Disney Christmas Day Parade

Every year the US Disney Channel parks host a special Christmas Day parade that features performances from various Hollywood Record and Disney Channel stars. The special also features the iconic Disneyland Christmas Parade.

In 2019, Rodrigo got to be part of the magic alongside her High School Musical: The Musical: The Series castmates when they took to the streets of Disneyland to perform a medley of High School Musical songs including the iconic “We’re All In This Together.”

6 Co-Wrote Original Songs For HSMTMTS Season 1

Not only did Rodrigo land the role of a lifetime when she was cast as Nini in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series but she was also given the opportunity to write original songs for the show and soundtrack. Rodrigo wrote the song “All I Want” on her own which was featured in the fourth episode of the series. “All I Want” is currently among the best songs from High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. 

Rodrigo also co-wrote the original song “I Think I Kinda, You Know” with Joshua Bassett, who plays her love interest on the show.

5 Served As A Parade Correspondent For The 2017 Disney Christmas Day Parade

Before getting the chance to perform in the iconic Disney Christmas Day Parade, Rodrigo served as a parade correspondent in 2017. Rodrigo was stationed in Disneyland Park alongside Sean Giambrone, who stars in ABC’s iconic family sitcom The Goldbergs. 

Together along with Jesse Palmer, Rodrigo contributed fun commentary as the iconic Disneyland Christmas parade made its way down Main Street, USA.

4 Wrote “The Rose Song” For HSMTMTS Season 2

After the success of “All I Want” on the first High School Musical: The Musical: The Series soundtrack it only made sense that Rodrigo was approached to write another original song for season 2.

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This time, Rodrigo got the opportunity to write a song not only for the show but also for East High’s production of Beauty and the Beast. The song is sung from the perspective of The Rose in Beauty and the Beast as she sings about what it’s like being trapped under glass by the Beast. She also co-wrote yet another song with Bassett for season 2.

3 Performed On Disney Channel’s Summer Sing-Along

Basking on the success of “All I Want,” Rodrigo got the opportunity to perform an acoustic version of the song during Disney Channel’s Summer Sing-Along series during the summer of 2020. Rodrigo performed with her trusty ukelele in front of a beautiful floral wall.

The special aired on Disney Channel in July 2020 and was later released on Disney+. Other performances included the Zombies 2 cast as well as several other Disney Channel stars singing iconic DCOM songs.

2 Covered Joni Mitchell’s ‘River’ In HSMTMTS Holiday Special

While COVID-19 shut down production of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series for several months, the cast was able to get together to film a holiday special that aired on Disney+ in December  2020. The special featured the cast performing iconic Christmas and holiday songs while also including a sneak peek at the new season.

In the special, Rodrigo sings a beautiful cover of Joni Mitchell’s bittersweet song “River.” Rodrigo also performed with the rest of the cast in “Something in the Air,” an original song written for season 2.

1 Has One Of The Most Watched Music Videos On DisneyMusicVevo

Since “All I Want” was written for High School Musical: The Musical: The Series the music video was featured on the DisneyMusicVevo channel first instead of Rodrigo’s personal account.

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Though the channel really doesn’t matter since the song has managed to rack in over 79 million views. Like the song’s success, the music video is one of the most-watched videos on the DisneyMusicVevo channel.

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About The Author


Danielle Bruncati
(299 Articles Published)

Danielle Bruncati was born and raised in Southern California and has been a story-teller for as long as she can remember. She is currently a freelance writer for ScreenRant and is also pursuing a Master’s Degree in Television Writing and Producing from a top 10 film school. When she’s not writing, Danielle can be found binging the latest sitcom or teen tv series with her dog by her side or walking around Disneyland with a Mickey-shaped snack in hand.

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