Olivia Rodrigo Went From Writing One Direction Fanfic To Texting With Niall Horan
Before becoming a household name seemingly overnight with the record-breaking success of "Drivers License," Olivia Rodrigo was deep in the 1D fandom. Before the group split up in 2015 following Zayn Malik's exit, the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series actress admitted that she was more than a little invested in the lives of bandmates like Harry Styles and Niall Horan during their heyday during a new interview. Apparently Olivia Rodrigo wrote One Direction fan fiction while she was in middle school, which makes it even more exciting that she's now texting Niall Horan in the wake of her success.
ICYMI, the 17 year old skyrocketed to fame with her breakup anthem following its release on Jan. 8, and it's been breaking records ever since, even earning her a spot on the iTunes charts alongside her idol Taylor Swift.
During an interview with the UK's Big Top 40 on Jan. 17, the actress opened up about navigating her recent success while also giving fans a glimpse into just how relatable she is. Rodrigo copped to being a One Direction superfan during the interview, even sharing that while it was "so embarrassing," she authored some One Direction fan fictions in middle school.
"I actually was the hugest One Direction fan when I was younger," she told the host. "I used to write like, One Direction fan-fiction when I was in middle school. Just like the cheesy, 'Oh, Harry proposes to you and asks you to be his wife.' Stuff like that. I was that diehard of a fan."
Rodrigo, who said she'd written the fan fiction for both herself and other readers, said her early fandom for the group made it that much more gratifying when former band member Niall Horan reached out to her following the release of her song.
"The fact that [Niall] reached out to me was amazing," Rodrigo revealed. "We've actually been texting and he's like, giving me advice on all of the craziness in the music industry, so it's been really amazing."
Speaking of fangirling, Rodrigo said one of the best part of her success was that people in the industry she'd always looked up to were reaching out to her.
"All of these people who I've looked up to since I was like, 11 years old are reaching out being like, 'Oh, I love this song! This is so great!'" she said. "That's just so beyond anything I could've ever dreamed of."
One major example was Taylor Swift. Rodrigo, who calls herself the "biggest Swiftie in the whole world," says she lost it when the "Love Story" singer slid into the comments section of an Instagram post she'd captioned, "Next to Taylor on the U.S. iTunes chart. I’m in a puddle of tears."
"Taylor — obviously she commented on my Instagram post and it made a big splash, it was insane," Rodrigo said during the interview. "I am the biggest Swiftie in the whole world, and the fact that she did that was just so insane. That truly just made my life. I'm just her biggest fan. But yeah, it's just incredible. I truly cannot really process all of this."
Unfortunately for Rodrigo, Harry Styles is currently off the market, as he's rumored to be dating Olivia Wilde. But with "Drivers License" expected to dominate the Billboard Top 100 and many more records to break, it looks like the actress has her share of musical icons cheering her on and offering her advice about navigating the industry.
