After being launched into global stardom with the release of her debut single Drivers License, the then 17-year-old, Olivia Rodrigo, raised the bar very high for her future projects; a bar I would argue she has since exceeded.
Some would think starting your career with a record-breaking song would halt your creativity and get you in your head, but instead, Olivia has let it fuel her confidence to take risks and trust her talents. Last week, she released her second single, Deja Vu, and I haven’t stopped listening to it since.
Deja Vu is a beautiful blend of retro and modern pop, which leaves you wondering what you just listened to — in a good way. Not gonna lie, I couldn’t help but hear some Taylor Swift and Lorde influences, two artists the singer has said inspire her in all her music. Like Taylor, she even has easter eggs hidden in her songs. If you listen closely, you can hear an audio recording of Olivia whispering “I love you,” during the second verse where she recalls listening to Billy Joel with her former partner.
Olivia’s lyricism is nothing short of poetry, in fact, many of her songs start as poems. As she sings about what it’s like seeing your ex-lover with their new lover, she paints pictures that make you believe you’ve experienced exactly what she’s referring to, even if you’ve never even been in a relationship before (I would know).
She opens the song, calmly reminiscing on memories with an ex. “Watching reruns of Glee / Being annoying, singing in harmony,” Olivia sings as she wonders if her former lover is doing the same with their new one. The beat builds slowly, slower than expected, only to break on the first chorus where she asks the burning question, “Do you get deja vu when she’s with you?” The song is co-written by Olivia and Dan Nigro, who also produced Drivers License, and plays with melodies and productions that keep you in anticipation of what’s to come next. Rolling Stone refers to it as “psychedelic.”
The music video, which was released with the single, is nothing short of a masterpiece either. It follows Olivia on a road trip to Malibu, much like the one she sings about in the song, having strawberry ice cream and stalking a girl you can only assume is her ex’s new boo — just the usual. As the singer lurks around corners and copies the new girl’s mannerisms, it eventually becomes hard to follow who’s copying who. This video is what I imagine my “aesthetic summer” Pinterest board would look like if it was made into a short movie.
It’s safe to say Deja Vu will be in all my Spotify playlists this summer. If Olivia Rodrigo’s upcoming album is anything like her first two pieces of art, be prepared to hear her name for many years to come.