Thursday, Olivia Rodrigo released “deja vu,” a funky, dreamy pop song with lots of sad breakup lyrics.
After the record-breaking success of her debut single, “drivers license,” Rodrigo is on everyone’s radar as a hot new artist, drawing immediate comparisons to Taylor Swift and Lorde.
As a huge fan of both, Rodrigo does not bother to hide that she takes inspiration from them and other relevant female musicians.
Both “drivers license” and “deja vu” have extremely specific lyrics, which are Taylor’s signature. You feel like you are reading Rodrigo’s diary as you listen, while at the same time connecting and relating to the sentiments. She recalls outings and memories with her ex (notoriously assumed to be her Disney+ costar Joshua Bassett) and imagining him doing the same with his new girlfriend (presumed to be Sabrina Carpenter).
She sings,
“I bet that she knows Billy Joel/
‘Cause you played her Uptown Girl/
You’re singing it together/
Now I bet you even tell her/
How you love her/
In between the chorus and the verse”
The three artists sparked love triangle rumors when Carpenter released “Skin,” writing “Maybe blonde was the only rhyme” in response to Rodrigo’s “You’re probably with that blonde girl.” There were musings that these were set up as a PR stunt to promote Bassett and Rodrigo’s show, High School Musical: The Musical, The Series. On “deja vu” however, Rodrigo says,
“Do you call her, almost say my name?/
’Cause let’s be honest, we kinda do sound the same.”
Whether they are really harboring jealousies or the story is being exaggerated for publicity, Rodrigo is clearly a talented artist writing some great music.
The melody is catchy, and the dreamy harmonies recall Lana del Rey. “Deja vu” is not the belted ballad that “drivers license” was, and a loud snare drum beat is a bit off-putting, but after a few listens, it’s just as easy to jam out to in the car as its older sister.
The feeling will be perfect for road trips and drives to the beach this summer. Rodrigo seems to know what she is doing by pairing emotional lyrics with indie-pop sounds on this record.
Her upcoming album, tentatively entitled *O*R, is set to debut on May 21, one week after the premiere of season 2 of High School Musical, The Musical, The Series.