Olivia Rodrigo has had a firm grip on the art of teasing fans from the very beginning of her music career (as expected from any Swiftie-turned-pop sensation). The 20-year-old mastermind’s got a lot more tricks up her sleeve as she gears up for her second studio album’s release this fall. Rodrigo announced on Aug. 7 that the song “bad idea right?” from her soon-to-be-released sophomore album GUTS is dropping as a single this Friday, Aug. 11. Livies are convinced that Rodrigo’s been leaving them clues about the upcoming release in her voicemail message — and you can call her yourself to hear the proof!
Rodrigo created the SOUR Heartbreak Hotline to promote her debut album SOUR in 2021. When fans called (323) 622-7687 in June 2023, Rodrigo’s voice answered, “Hey, you’ve reached Olivia! I suck at voicemail, but leave me a text. I’ll get back to you by June 30. Muah, bye!” Given that she’s a sickeningly talented genius, that date was anything but arbitrary: GUTS’ first single, “vampire,” came out on June 30.
The voicemail message has changed post-“vampire” release day not just once, but multiple times. Twitter user Clay posted this recording of Rodrigo’s voicemail on Aug. 4, where a different voice says, “Hey, it’s Maddie. We’re trying to leave this party and get tacos but we can’t really find you, so just call me back.” “Maddie” sounds a lot like Madison Hu, Rodrigo’s former Bizaardvark co-star and one of her best friends to this day.
Just three days after Maddie’s message (on Aug. 7 — the same day Rodrigo announced her new single), the voicemail changed again. This time, a new voice says, “Hey Liv, it’s Tate. Where’d you end up going? That guy we met was so much fun, but he has such weird friends. Text me when you get this. Bye.” I only know one famous Tate, and she just so happens to be friends with Rodrigo (they even went to SZA’s SOS Tour together in May). This new message has to be from Tate McRae, the singer behind hits like “she’s all i wanna be” and “you broke me first.”
What do these cryptic voicemails mean? McRae might be a singer, but she’s not listed as a featured artist on GUTS’ tracklist. Maybe the two are collaborating on a future track, or in a wild turn of events, McRae is making a surprise appearance on GUTS! Hu isn’t a singer at all, so her involvement might be more acting adjacent. I’m hoping for a star-studded music video featuring Rodrigo and all of her friends a la Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” or Ariana Grande’s “Thank U, Next.” It’s a good idea, right?