Rick Astley made a guest appearance on BBC Radio 2’s Piano Room to perform a cover of Olivia Rodrigo’s 2021 hit, “drivers license.”
Accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra, Astley first ran through a mashup rendition of his beloved hit “Never Gonna Give You Up” with Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You.” He then performed the Rodrigo cover, made all the more stirring by Astley’s unmistakeable baritone and the orchestra’s dramatic swells. Watch Astley perform both “drivers license” and “Never Gonna Give You Up” below.
Astley is no stranger to covering his favorite songs. Just last year, Astley performed an entire set of The Smiths’ songs with the band Blossoms at Glastonbury, and they had previously covered The Smiths at a pair of shows in 2021. He also snuck in covers of Harry Styles’ “As It Was” and AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” during his solo performance at Glastonbury 2023. Throughout the pandemic, Astley offered up some quarantine-era covers, including Post Malone’s “Better Now” and Foo Fighters’ “Everlong.”
Astley’s most recent album was 2023’s Are We There Yet?, and he’ll be heading out on a UK and Europe tour throughout the spring and summer; Get tickets to Rick Astley’s international shows on viagogo.