NEAR TRUTHS: CLASS VALEDICTORIAN

As Billie Eilish begins a glam new chapter in her illustrious career, we turn to another teen phenom, who further attests to the adroit artist development of John Janick and team: Geffen’s Olivia Rodrigo. The latter young star now has two giant hits and is poised for considerably more streaming action when her full-length, SOUR, drops on 5/21.

Media watchers are now asking how big an impact the next season of Disney’s High School Musical (which kicks off on 5/14) will have on the young artist’s skyrocketing music career. After all, Rodrigo portrays Nini, the lead character on the show, and she appeared on half of the cuts on the first HSM series soundtrack album. That said, the plan, according to insiders, is to keep the two brands as separate as possible in marketing and social media. It should be an interesting process to observe from the cheap seats. Meanwhile, it’s believed a pub deal will be announced sometime before Rodrigo’s album lands.