By: Keira Sanders
Olivia Rodrigo is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She’s known for her lead role in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series and her debut album SOUR, which was released on May 21, 2021. At 19, Rodrigo won three Grammy Awards out of seven nominations for her first album. Since then, her fanbase waited eagerly for her Sophomore album GUTS, which was published on September 8, 2023.
SOUR expresses Rodrigo’s feelings on how challenging it is to become who you are. She explains that “I’m obsessed with the concept of awesome things in my life – like my relationship with myself and with others – progressively going sour as I get older. It’s a very visceral word, one that captures the sounds that I’m inspired by and a specific slice of my life at 17.”
SOUR gained a variety of wins from seven Billboard Music Awards to three Grammy Awards in the time span of two years. The record became the first debut album in history to have two songs debut on top of the US Billboard Hot 100. While SOUR is listed as pop-punk, her sophomore album GUTS leans toward pop-rock. The title GUTS means bravery and intuition.
Rodrigo states in a recent interview with Rolling Stone, “this album encapsulates growing up and figuring yourself out in the world, and the awkwardness of that.”
Rodrigo goes on to share that the differences between the two albums are significant. She describes “the last album was definitely a breakup record, much to my chagrin… I was really trying to make it, not that, but that’s what it was. I’m feeling a lot happier these days. Everything’s pretty good. So I wasn’t going to make something super devastating, a record of ballads.”
El Diamante student, Molly Ridenour says “I feel the GUTS album really represents the person she’s becoming and how much she’s grown since her last album.”
Despite Ridenour’s positive opinion, many have mixed reviews on the newest album. The majority of the students share that Rodrigo’s newest album really shows the development she’s made not only in her writing but vocally too. A common favorite among El D students is “lacy”, a song that expresses Rodrigo’s envy towards someone. Many say that the song is the most relatable song for them, causing them to have an emotional connection to it.
Personally, my favorite song is “ballad of a homeschooled girl.” While the song title includes the word ‘girl’ in it, I think that everyone can relate to it the most. One of the lyrics in the song says “I told secrets I shouldn’t tell I stumbled over all my words.” I think that this song really portrays what it’s like for teenagers’ lives, especially while being social. Throughout the rest of the track, Rodrigo sings about how being social feels awkward no matter where she is. As a teenager, I truly relate to this song because everyone is going through their own things and just trying to learn how to live their lives, and I think that the “ballad of a homeschooled girl” really puts the feeling of awkwardness into words. Overall these songs are relatable to teens, and allows us to express and connects ourselves through music.
Amazing article! I loved this album so much and I’m so happy I had to opportunity to be interviewed by you!