Digital Editor Halima Ahad gives us a beginner’s guide to Olivia Rodrigo
Olivia Rodrigo began her career as a Disney Channel star, however she soon left the path of Disney fame to become one of the most well-known singers today. Her career only spans 4 years, from the release of her first hit song All I Want to her smashing hit new single obsessed, but she has impacted so many young women’s lives since then. Here, I’ll talk you through those singles which have particularly skyrocketed her career as well as her two recently released albums.
Hit Singles
All I Want
For her High School Musical: The Musical: The Series character Nini, Rodrigo was given free rein to write a song by her producer. The producer decided to ‘skip the middleman’ and give her full creative input into her own song. At the time, she found this daunting as she was 16 and had no experience but little did Rodrigo know the song would be a smash hit.
The song shows that it is okay to dream for your lover to come one day
Rodrigo wanted to write a relatable song at the time, especially coming back to the troubles of her character in the show, she exclusively told behind the scenes. The lyrics of the first chorus, along with the soft melodies of the piano, display these emotions perfectly. ‘I found a guy, told me I was a star / He held the door, held my hand in the dark’ which shows how Nini felt betrayed by someone she thought she could trust, a common feeling amongst young girls in relationships today. The song shows that it is okay to dream for your lover to come one day. Although it may feel tough in the moment, they will come eventually.
drivers license
‘Driver’s License’ was where Rodrigo’s singing career first began and it definitely didn’t disappoint. The heartbreak ballad, rumoured to be about her relationship with former HSMTMTS star Joshua Bassett, touches upon the grief that comes with letting your lover go and the impact this has. The music video highlights this amazingly as Rodrigo is seen to be in different settings as she sings along to the lyrics, such as walking the street as well as sitting in a room with the words ‘You Said Forever’ around her as she sings to the lyrics ‘Cause you said forever, now I drive alone past your street’.
vampire
‘vampire’ is the comeback single from Rodrigo’s previous SOUR era and nodded towards the start of her sophomore era GUTS. The song refers to a relationship where Rodrigo felt ultimate betrayal from her lover including being lied and cheated on. This single, in my opinion, was only just the beginning of Rodrigo’s new sound of young female angst and rage as well as the signifying self-discovery and liberation from these toxic relationships. The music video, exclusively directed by Petra Collins, displays her new era perfectly as she is seen to be performing at a show but is suddenly hit by a light which triggers the melodic change in the song.
Hit Albums
SOUR
Officially released during May 2021, SOUR was Rodrigo’s debut album and the hype that surrounded it was definitely worth it. In the album, she touches upon themes such as young womanhood and navigating the highs and lows that come with this. Key singles include ‘brutal’, ‘deja vu’ ‘good 4 u’.
The album has really skyrocketed the singer’s career as she experiments numerous different sounds and melodies…
In my Essential Album piece, I elaborate on the many reasons why SOUR should be deemed as essential listening for fans and non-fans alike of Rodrigo. The album has really skyrocketed the singer’s career as she experiments numerous different sounds and melodies including ‘brutal’ which touches upon Rodrigo being largely influenced by the ‘90s alt-rock scene.
As well as this, Rodrigo has much more dreamy and feminine tracks on the album such as ‘deja vu’ in which she contemplates on moving on from her past relationship but reminisces on what they used to have. Rodrigo explained her inspirations for the music video including the famous television series, at the time, Killing Eve and how she wanted to touch upon themes the show portrayed.
GUTS and GUTS (spilled)
A recent release from Rodrigo, in September 2023, GUTS exuberates a whole new sound for Rodrigo. She experiments with the pop punk and rock sound, doing so seamlessly and this can be seen in numerous tracks throughout the album such as ‘bad idea right?’, ‘get him back!’ and ‘all-american b*tch’.
Rodrigo teased and released (in the same week), the deluxe version of the album named GUTS (spilled) in correspondence to its sister album. The additional songs to the album solidify Rodrigo’s experimentation much more as she is clearly seen to be having fun with it all, including the song which wraps up the whole album ‘so american’ as she is displaying the joys of being in a new relationship.
From dreamy pop ballads to angsty womanhood hits, the singer has truly risen to stardom and she hasn’t disappointed in the process
Concluding Thoughts
Overall, Rodrigo has beautifully evolved through her sound. From dreamy pop ballads to angsty womanhood hits, the singer has truly risen to stardom and she hasn’t disappointed in the process. I’m so excited for what is to come for her and I cannot wait for where this will take her in the future.
Additional tracks worth exploring include:
‘1 step forward, 3 steps back’, ‘favourite crime’ and ‘hope ur ok’ from SOUR and ‘teenage dream’, ‘scared of my guitar’ and ‘stranger’ from GUTS (spilled).
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