Singer Olivia Rodrigo Of Temecula/Murrieta Talks Vaxx With Biden

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Joe Biden enlisted the help Wednesday of an 18-year-old pop phenom from Southwest Riverside County to encourage coronavirus vaccination among young people.

Olivia Rodrigo — who was born in Temecula and went to school in Murrieta — met with Biden and Anthony S. Fauci, the president's chief medical advisor.

Speaking from the White House press briefing room podium, Rodrigo said Wednesday, "I am beyond honored and humbled to be here today to help spread the message about the importance of youth vaccination.

"I'm in awe of the work President Biden and Dr. Fauci have done and was happy to help lend my support to this important initiative," she continued. "It's important to have conversations with friends and family members encouraging all communities to get vaccinated, and actually get to a vaccination site, which you can do more easily than ever before, given how many sites we have and how easy it is to find them at vaccines.gov."

Data updated Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that less than 5 percent of U.S. kids ages 12-17 are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.

While in the nation's Capitol, Rodrigo is also filming at least one video encouraging youth vaccination to help prevent COVID-19 spread. The short clips will be featured on the singer's social media channels as well as White House accounts.

Rodrigo is a Disney Plus-series star whose album, “Sour,” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Her hit single “Drivers License” went viral on TikTok, and the artist performed the song on “Saturday Night Live” in May. According to the White House, she has more than 28 million social media followers.

Rodrigo went to elementary and middle school in Murrieta. A June post on her Instagram account shows her graduating from high school.