On March 13, 2026, in Los Angeles, California, a purple wall featuring Olivia Rodrigo’s iconic “OR” symbol appeared. Almost instantly, the internet lit up with excitement. In subsequent days, that flame continued to be stoked as the wall gradually shifted from deep purple to lighter and lighter shades of pink.
Then, on April 2, the wall was updated to read “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love”. Just like that, the long-awaited album was officially announced. Later that same day, Rodrigo revealed the album cover and confirmed the release date: June 12.
Around the same time as the wall in March, pink heart-shaped locks began being placed in cities all around the world, including London, Paris, L.A., and New York. Each lock held a single word, which, when put together, spells out: “drop dead april 17th”.
Jump forward, and here we are: April 17! The long-awaited moment, and Rodrigo did not disappoint.
At midnight EST (or 9 p.m. on the 16 for my fellow Victoria girls), I tuned into the “drop dead” official music video. Starting with the song itself: after the first listen—and a few replays—it’s not my personal favourite Olivia track, but it’s still a strong lead single that has made me even more excited for the album. While I’m still hoping for a bit more pop-rock from her down the line, this dreamy, fun sound really captures what falling in love feels like in real time. And I think that is exactly the point.
Then comes the bridge: “Pisces and a Gemini / But I think we might go really nice together”. At that point, it becomes glaringly obvious that this song is about Rodrigo’s now ex-boyfriend, Louis Patridge. That context definitely adds a bittersweet element to the song, and it ties into what Rodrigo said in her fan newsletter, “No matter how hard I try to write love songs they always come out laced with a little melancholy”.
Ok, now we can’t forget what we’re actually here for… the music video.
To understand the context, you need a bit of background on the director of the video, Petra Collins. In an interview with Punkt (translated from Hungarian to English), Collins said she originally moved to Los Angeles after being invited by Sam Levinson to help create and direct a new HBO show, Euphoria. She worked on it for about five months and claimed that she created “a whole world” for the series. She also said she was later fired by Levinson, allegedly for being “too young”.
A year later, when the show premiered, Collins said she saw a billboard for Euphoria outside her apartment and broke down crying, feeling it was “exactly what I am, as a copy of my work”. In short, she’s implied that she was pushed out, but that her creative ideas still ended up shaping the final look and feel of the show. And if you take a quick look at her photography, both in the past and present, that claim doesn’t seem like a far stretch whatsoever. This all also feeds into what fans have been saying about both the second season and now the first episode of the third: they feel like it lacks creative cohesion and a clear, consistent direction.
Now, as for Olivia Rodrigo’s music video, directed by Collins, it’s hard not to notice how strongly her visual fingerprint comes through. There are moments that feel distinctly Euphoria-adjacent, from the hazy opening party scene (Rue, is that you?) to the dreamy palette of blues, purples, and reds that run throughout. While it’s by no means a confirmed “diss”, it is interesting that Collins is directing something so tied to her recognizable aesthetic at the same time as Euphoria is back in the spotlight.
Ultimately, I feel that it opens up a bigger conversation about who shapes pop culture and who gets credit for it, and how the creative labour—especially from women and other minorities behind the scenes—goes unrecognized or blatantly excluded.