There are some clues for the muse behind “So American.”
Olivia Rodrigo’s music has sparked a lot — like, a lot — of interest in her dating life, lest we forget the “Drivers License” saga of 2021. Though Rodrigo never fed into the drama (and the rumored love triangle between her, Joshua Bassett, and Sabrina Carpenter), she continued to release heartfelt and heartbreaking songs.
On March 22, Rodrigo dropped a new track, “So American,” as part of her extended GUTS album — cleverly titled GUTS (spilled). In the song, she sings about someone affectionately referring to her as “so American,” and makes a reference to “drivin’ on the right-side road.”
Fans think the song’s a sweet tribute to Rodrigo’s current beau, Louis Partridge, who is from the U.K. But Rodrigo isn’t likely to share BTS details, as she’s been coy in the past.
Back in January 2021, when asked by Billboard whether a certain someone (Bassett) inspired her breakup song, “Driver’s License,” Rodrigo gave a cryptic response. "I totally understand people's curiosity with the specifics of who the song's about and what it's about, but to me, that's really the least important part of the song," she said at the time. "It's resonating with people because of how emotional it is, and I think everything else is not important."
All things considered, fans likely won’t hear from Rodrigo herself about who inspired her new music, but if you want to take your best guess, here’s a rundown of Rodrigo’s dating history.
Dating rumors about Rodrigo and Wacker first began circulating in July 2018, when they were in their early teens, but the Bizaardvark co-stars didn't confirm anything until January 2019, when Wacker posted a sweet Instagram in honor of his six-month anniversary with Rodrigo. "Happy 6 months! You are the greatest," he wrote in the since-deleted post.
A few days after that, the duo went on a trip to Hawaii together, and judging by the pics they shared on Instagram, it seemed like everything was going swimmingly.
However, by August 2019, it appeared they had gone their separate ways, as Rodrigo deleted all of the IG pics she had with Wacker, per J-14. But apparently, the two worked through their problems to become friends again, because Rodrigo congratulated Wacker on getting into Vanderbilt University for the fall of 2020. "Ahhhh I'm so proud! He's the best!" she wrote on her Instagram Story.
As for "Drivers License," Wacker seemingly confirmed the song wasn't about him when he responded to a fan who asked him about it on TikTok. "Nope. I treated her well," he wrote in response.
Rodrigo and her HSMTMTS co-star Bassett first sparked dating rumors while playing on-again, off-again love interests Nini and Ricky, mostly due to their undeniable on-screen chemistry and flirty behavior during interviews.
In March of 2020, Rodrigo even shared a love song on IG that she wrote about someone with a "brown-eyed grin and messy hair," which fans speculated was about Bassett.
In May 2020, fans noticed the two had stopped liking each other's IG posts, and in August, Bassett raised eyebrows when he was spotted grabbing lunch with Sabrina Carpenter in L.A., per Just Jared Jr.
However, neither Rodrigo nor Bassett has ever confirmed those dating rumors — even if everyone believes “Drivers License” (and most of the Sour album) is about a love triangle between the three of them.
Rodrigo was photographed kissing producer Adam Faze in July 2021 after attending a movie premiere together in June. “It's only been a few months but she seems really happy with him and they are definitely dating exclusively and getting serious,” a source told E! at the time.
The couple’s low-key ‘ship didn’t last too long, though. In February 2022, a People source confirmed that their romance had been “over for a bit now” — and on July 3, another insider claimed Faze was not the muse behind “Vampire.”
Rodrigo’s romance with DJ Zack Bia started off sporty. "They've been dating since the Super Bowl,” a source told People in June 2022. “Zack [feels] that Olivia is really down to earth and he loves how low-key she is. It's a good balance between them,” an insider told E! at the time, adding that their relationship was “a lot of fun.”
However, by August, things were over between them. A source explained to Us Weekly, “Their relationship sort of fizzled.”
When Rodrigo released “Vampire” in September 2023, fans were quick to link the song to her ‘ship with Bia. (In the song, she sings about a six-month relationship with a significant age gap, both of which fit this romance.)
Rumors surrounding Rodrigo and Louis Partridge began in October 2023 when they were spotted celebrating Halloween together. A couple of months later, in December, Partridge supported Rodrigo at Saturday Night Live — and made out with her at a gas station, seemingly confirming romance rumors.
Since going public with their romance, Partridge has been a regular attendee on Rodrigo’s GUTS tour. He also gave a little bit of insight into their romance during an interview with British Vogue in March. “Dating probably shouldn’t be done in the public eye,” he said. “There’s enough going on between two people. You don’t need the voices of thousands of others in your head.”
Here’s to more lyrical analysis as Rodrigo releases more of Guts.
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