Olivia Rodrigo and Laufey's friendship is shaping up to be one of our favorites. Recently, the two stars have been seen together at the premiere of the GUTS Tour Netflix special and other events, making it seem like they've known each other for life. But, as it turns out, their first interaction was anything but familiar: it all started with a cold text from an unknown number — because sliding into the DMs is so passé, right?
In a new interview with the Los Angeles Times, Laufey recounted the story of her first meeting with Olivia Rodrigo, and, of course, technology had a hand in bringing the two together. However, instead of the now usual social media DM, Rodrigo full-on got Laufey's number and texted her instead. Of course, the “rudimentary” approach took the singer aback, who admitted it took her a couple of minutes to realize she was, in fact, not being pranked or scammed.
“She just texted me out of nowhere from an unknown number: ‘Hey, it’s Olivia Rodrigo. I’m such a fan of your music. Can we hang out sometime?’ I was like, ‘What?!’'” the Chinese-Icelandic singer recalled. “I literally texted my whole team because I thought maybe it was spam. That’s one way to get me.”
But alas, it was legit, so Laufey wrote back with her address — as a refresher, she was born and raised in Reykjavík, Iceland, but has since relocated to L.A., where Rodrigo also resides, which makes logistics a tad easier. After the address was sent, the duo “just hung out.”
“We’re both half-Asian, half-white — we’ve always had this kind of mixed identity,” Laufey said of their connection. “And anything that I’ve gone through this year, she’s gone through on a very exaggerated level. It’s been really lovely to be able to check in and hang out and not feel crazy.”
Recently, the duo was spotted hanging out together at Variety's Hitmakers Brunch, which took place on December 7, 2024. While being interviewed on the red carpet, Laufey gushed about her friendship with Rodrigo and admitted she would love to collab with her soon. ICYMI: Laufey posted a cover of “deja vu” to her TikTok back in 2021, writing, “The one time I'll cover a song from this century is for Miss Olivia Rodrigo.”
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Rodrigo had previously opened up about her being the one to reach out to Laufey and start the friendship in a Time essay, but then, she attributed it to a DM. (We get it; in this day and age, DMs and texts are almost synonymous, but Laufey's shock wouldn't have been as big over DM!)
“The first time I listened to Laufey’s album Bewitched, I was captivated by her music and how she was able to build a singular world. I sent her a DM: ‘You’re the coolest girl ever — can we hang out?’ And that sparked a wonderful friendship,” Rodrigo wrote. “We can talk about music and the industry, but we can also just gossip. She can write a song and play it at the Philharmonic, but she can also be silly on TikTok. She’s a modern star.”
“I can’t wait to see Laufey expand her reach around the world as an artist,” she continued. “And as a friend, I just wish her delirious happiness for the rest of her life. There’s no one more deserving.”
With the two heading into 2025 with some festivals lined up, we can only wish and hope for an on-stage reunion like Rodrigo and Chappell Roan's from earlier this year. Fingers and toes crossed.
