In a new interview with Variety, Olivia Rodrigo spoke her mind about her atypical Disney stardom — being simultaneously cemented into Disney Channel stardom with her roles in Bizaardvark and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series and the immense success of her non-Disney debut album — Sour.
Getting candid during her interview, the teen sensation opened about advice she received from women who have seen the harsh side of teen stardom before her.
The singer-songwriter spoke of the wisdom bestowed upon her when she met fellow Disney star, Selena Gomez.
“I met Selena, and she was so kind,” said Rodrigo. “She talked to me a lot about prioritizing mental health, which I think is really important in this industry. All of us were in the limelight very young…That can be taxing on your psyche and can bring about all these weird issues.”
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Gomez has been an advocate of mental health in the industry, preaching by example and being open with her struggles with mental health herself.
In May, for Mental Health Awareness Month, her beauty venture, Rare Beauty, launched a new education and advocacy campaign, called Rare Impact Fund, focused on bringing more mental health services and financial support to schools.
“I wish I learned about mental health the way I learned about other subjects growing up,” Gomez said in a statement. “Every young person deserves to learn about their mental health at a young age so they’re equipped to ask questions, have access to resources and empower themselves,” said the 29-year-old.
Rodrigo also received words of footing from Taylor Swift, whose ‘fangirl for life’ she calls herself.
“It’s so nice to be welcomed into the music industry and so great to be supportive of other women,” she said in the interview. “She wrote me a letter a while ago, and she wrote something about how you make your own luck in the world, and how you treat other people always comes back to you.”
“I don’t want to divulge too much because it’s really sweet and personal, but she talks a lot about how, I think, you make your own luck in the world,” Rodrigo said of the message. “I don’t know, she put it so eloquently, and when I say it now … it’s not as cool,” she added.
Rodrigo cites Swift as one of her biggest songwriting influences.
