Olivia Rodrigo Shares She Is Partially Deaf in One Ear

“I never knew until kindergarten or so when they’re doing the tests on all the kids, and they were like, ‘Oh, you’re a little hard of hearing,'” she told The Hollywood Reporter in 2023. “It’s interesting.”

Nevertheless, she displayed her signature wit at the time, too.

“One of my friends is this great photographer, Petra Collins, and she has really bad vision,” the singer continued, “so we always joke that I make music because I have bad hearing, and she takes photos because she has bad vision.”

Of course, Rodrigo is no stranger to rising above obstacles. Indeed, after bursting onto the scene with her 2021 single “Drivers License,” she surrounded herself with people she could trust to help her navigate a new phase of life. 

“I’m taking it one step at a time. It can be really tough on your mental health, though,” she told VogueSingapore in that year. “I’m grateful for the people who like me for me, and keep me separated from all the noise and tabloids or what people are saying about me on social media.”

“It’s funny how recognition changes everything and also changes nothing in your life,” she continued. “The problems I was having a year ago are still the problems I’m having now, and things that brought me joy a year ago are still the things that bring me joy now. It’s just another aspect of life that you need to learn how to deal with, but it doesn’t change who you are as a person.”

For a look back at Rodrigo through the years, keep reading…