In 2021, at just 18 years old, Olivia Rodrigo broke into the world of entertainment with her hit single “Driver’s License” and continued to deliver with songs found within her 2021 album SOUR. Her album contains 11 songs that she wrote and co-wrote with her producer Dan Nigro. Rodrigo’s album is a mix of alternative rock with some sprinkles of pop; embedded in her music are the emotions of anger, pain, sadness, jealousy, and the chaotic feeling of growing up.
Before there even was an album, Rodrigo was in the process of creating her EP, but after the success of her first single debut “Driver’s License”, she decided to develop her EP into an album. Her first single focused on the heartbreak of the ending of a romantic relationship, the feeling of knowing so much about someone, and then the process of moving on.
“Deja vu” was Rodrigo’s second single incorporating more upbeat sounds focusing on the aftermath of a relationship, and how the memories of a relationship could still present themselves even after breaking up. In a Rolling Stone interview, Olivia Rodrigo and Dan Nigro speak about the ups and downs of finalizing the song, speaking about lyric changes, sound arrangements, cuts and edits, and the rollercoaster of events that eventually led to the “deja vu” we know today.
In another interview with Zach Sang, she revealed details of her songwriting process among other information. Zach argued, “jealousy, jealousy” to be “the most important song on the album from a generational perspective”. When it comes to image issues, comparing each other and the influence of social media, well I myself agree. Zach points out lyrics such as “comparison is killing me slowly”, “I think, I think too much about kids who don’t know me”, “happier, prettier, jealousy, jealousy” and my all-time favorite line “their win is not my loss”. Another powerful lyric would be “I wanna be you so bad and I don’t even know you” and this line really resonates as it speaks about trying to achieve something that is impossible, for you are you and no one else. Even ideals themselves are skewed and subject to change which this line hints at subtly.
In Sang’s interview, alluding to her songwriting process, Olivia Rodrigo expresses, “I’m a very like in the present songwriter, I write songs when I’m in like the depths of my emotions” which reveals how her lyrics reflect her full raw emotions of heartbreak, sadness, jealousy, anger. The vulnerability in her lyrics is what makes her songs so great and reflects the modern social media image that distorts reality, leading to feelings of dissatisfaction and self-esteem issues.
“Enough for you” is one song that reflects the feelings of worthlessness or even failure that comes from comparing ourselves to others. And to add a layer, it even describes how sometimes we feel that we are not enough even for our own selves. Similarly, “1 step forward, 3 steps back” parallels this feeling of trying to move forward, but when other feelings or happenings occur, sometimes it seems that our goals are not attainable, or that the clock is ticking and we must perform to our fullest capacity to truly be worthy.
Though her album shows a wide range of emotions through slow-tempo sounds and soft lyrics, there is one fast-paced, upbeat, rock-inspired song that really screams GenZ and that’s “Brutal”.
“Brutal” describes her experience as a teen, feeling the pressures of the world and the disillusionment with expectations and reality of the transition into growing up. As a university student who juggles a minimum-wage job, while studying and having hobbies for personal growth, I resonate with the feeling of the weight of the world and the responsibilities that I already have at the age of 21. Olivia articulates, “And I’m so tired that I might, Quit my job, start a new life, And they’d all be so disappointed, Cause who am I if not exploited?”, continuing her song with, “they say these are the golden years, but I wish I could disappear, Ego crush is so severe, God, it’s brutal out here”. And yes, sometimes I too want to disappear, to be swallowed by the ground and not face life. It would be much easier, but with life, it is what it is.
Sofia (Junior) mentions, “She definitely knew her audience, her marketing, the fonts, the colors; it was very teenage vibes,” alluding to her opinion on the album, continuing with “And she also started off on Tik Tok doing snippets of her songs and they were literally so good. She built off on social media. She knows how to use social media to her advantage. Brutal was very fun and it represented a lot of our feelings as teenagers growing up in this world.”
Though her lyrical genius is very much apparent in her music, so are the different genres she takes from as inspiration for her own music. Her alternative sound infused with pop, makes her style edgy. Other songs on the album include “good 4 you”, “traitor”, “happier”, “favorite crime” and “hope ur okay” all either referencing romance, heartbreak, sadness, and/or anger.
At such a young age, Olivia Rodrigo reveals through Sour a vulnerable and real sentiment about core emotions we as humans feel, those emotions we are told to control but sometimes need to be fully felt to truly heal and move on. This album was like therapy, it’s a homage to our generation that grew up in this digital age of information overflow, emotional trauma, and the re-defining of social expectations and their implications on an individual and societal scale.
I can’t wait to see what Olivia Rodrigo’s next album entails.