Olivia Rodrigo in Los Angeles in June.Photo:Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for YouTube
Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for YouTube
One of the most scathing lines onOlivia Rodrigo’s new single “Vampire” almost didn’t make the cut.
The singer-songwriter, 20, opened up about the making of herlatest chart-topperin an interview withAudacy’sThe Julia Show, and revealed why she was close to axing a line in the chorus in which she calls her subject a “fame f—er.”
“It was actually a debate whether or not ‘fame f—er’ should be in the song," she said. “Some people said, ‘It kind of isolates you from people, you can’t really say stuff like that in songs if it’s not relatable,’ yada, yada, yada, which I totally get and I saw where they were coming from.”
Still, Rodrigo said she felt as though the song wasn’t explicitly about someone using her fame to climb the social ladder, but more about manipulation in general — something many of her listeners have likely experienced.
Olivia Rodrigo at a Met Gala after-party in New York City in May 2023.Lexie Moreland/WWD
Lexie Moreland/WWD
“I think the song isn’t about fame f—ing or whatever, I think it’s more about someone being manipulative and sucking you dry, using you for all your worth,” she said. “I think that that’s a universal theme, and I also think fame is more easily accessible now than it has ever been. It’s not just people in L.A. and Hollywood that have to deal with that.”
The star releasedSourin 2021, and it quickly proved to be a runaway success, helping Rodrigo secure three Grammy Awards in 2022. She announced in June thatGuts, its follow-up, will be released on Sept. 8.
“I looked through all the songs we had and I think it’s not completely so far out of left field when you look at Sour and all the things we did there, but I also think it’s a step forward and kind of hints at everything that’s to come in the next album,” she said.
Rodrigo added that she “really tried to improve” her songwriting while makingGutswith producer Dan Nigro, and that she feels “a lot more sure of myself now.”
She also teased that the first song on the new record is her favorite, and described it as “my version of a riot grrrl punk song.”
Rodrigo announcedGutsin June, and said in a statement that the new record “is about growing pains and trying to figure out who I am at this point in my life.”
“I feel like I grew 10 years between the ages of 18 and 20—it was such an intense period of awkwardness and change. I think that’s all just a natural part of growth, and hopefully the album reflects that,” she said.
source: people.com
