The pop star, who became an overnight sensation with her debut single, “Drivers Licence,” by breaking various records as one of the best-selling songs of 2021, has once again taken the internet by storm. Though the singer-songwriter is not trending for her music this time, Rodrigo has drawn attention because of her recent revelations made in a candid interview with The Los Angeles Times that have left her fans, widely known as Livies, surprised.
The 20-year-old songstress shared her honest thoughts about some of her older songs from her 2021 debut album Sour by confessing that she’s no longer a big fan of them as much as her newer creations. “Some of them I don’t really love so much anymore,” Rodrigo told the outlet. She also added, “I just feel like I’ve grown out of some of them.” The Grammy winner opted not to name which songs she’s no longer fond of. “Oh, I don’t want to tell you that,” she said.
The artist who released her second studio album, Guts, this year, supported by the singles “Vampire,” “Bad Idea Right?” and “Get Him Back!” made sure to emphasize by giving a reason why she won’t reveal the names of the tracks from her first album, which has become a fan favorite, quote, “People get so sad because it’ll be their favorite song.”
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In the same interview, Rodrigo made sure to mention one song from the debut album, which she still dearly loves. Can you guess which one it is? Yes, it’s the one and only “Drivers License,” the lead single off Sour that became her first-ever No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 as it spent eight consecutive weeks at number one, helping her achieve mainstream fame. The song documents the “multifaceted” emotions Rodrigo endured after a heartbreak.
Additionally, it has been certified six times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The song has accumulated over 1 billion streams on Spotify, ranking amongst the 100 most streamed songs on the platform.
“I remember putting the song out, still super-heartbroken, and people would come up to me and say, ‘Wow, this takes me back to my first heartbreak,'” she explained about the track as it won Best Pop Solo Performance at the 2022 Grammy Awards, where it was also nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. She also added, “Now, I listen to it and I totally get it. It actually does transport me back to when I thought I was never gonna love anyone else. I’m like, Awww — that’s so cute.”
Check out the full music video below, as the track is written alongside producer Dan Nigro, and it contains poignant lyrics detailing heartache, making it a power ballad blending bedroom pop, alt-pop, and power pop styles. It is characterized by a minimalist, piano-led production, with the video revolving around Rodrigo driving around a suburban area after receiving her driver’s license and reminiscing about her memories of the song’s subject, who encouraged her to obtain the license.
The comments made by the “Deja Vu” singer in the interview give an unexpected insight into Olivia’s evolving artistic journey and have sparked curiosity and speculation about the direction her music will take in the future. On the other hand, the performer also made sure to give credit to her longtime collaborator Dan Nigro for pushing her to branch out of her comfort zone, which helped her to create her second album, Guts, which, as stated above, was released earlier this year.
“I sometimes think if it weren’t for him, I would have been writing sad piano ballads forever,” said Rodrigo. She also stated, “That was an idea I was exploring a lot on this album — that the girl singing ‘Bad Idea Right?’ is totally different than the girl singing ‘Logical.'” Rodrigo continued, “This time, I wasn’t 17 years old, going through my first heartbreak, crying at the piano, and a song just flies out. I had to sharpen my songwriting skills and my singing skills. It felt like a different creative experience.”
To say the least, the change in musical direction has paid off, as Guts became her second to top the Billboard 200 and spawned her third No. 1 on the Hot 100 with “Vampire.” Rodrigo’s plan to conceive Guts in hopes of reflecting the process of maturity she experienced toward the end of her teenage years has been received well by the fans and critics. For context, last month, for the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, it received six nominations , which are as follows:
- Record of the Year – “Vampire”
- Song of the Year – “Vampire”
- Best pop solo performance – “Vampire”
- Album of the Year – “Guts”
- Best pop vocal album – “Guts”
- Best rock song – “Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl”
Due to this, it has become her second consecutive Album of the Year nomination.
Furthermore, the studio album has achieved many other milestones as it topped the charts in 14 countries, including the United States, Australia, Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. In its US debut, it recorded 302,000 first-week album-equivalent units while charting all 12 of its songs in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. The album also includes the international number-one track “Vampire” and the top-10 charting “Bad Idea Right?” and “Get Him Back!”
At last, in support of the album, Rodrigo will embark on the Guts World Tour in 2024.
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