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People love to hate.
It’s an addicting feeling, and the high raises one to an air of superiority difficult to knock down. Ego is a powerful thing. And nothing is easier than hating a woman on the rise.
It’s especially easier when that woman is a twenty year old former Disney Channel darling, fresh from a worldwide tour and features in the tabloids about her fabulous string of exes and the latest CW-esque drama her life in the public eye naturally conjures up.
Guts is for lack of a better word, real. It’s a sensational upgrade from Sour, and an exceptional transition away from the teeny bopper aesthetic Olivia is typically associated with. It is a raw epiphany of all the troubles teenagehood presents, and an attempt to connect with an audience that is also growing up with her.
Olivia’s lyrical strength is undeniable. While her ballads garner the most attention for that “screaming in the car while crying” factor, I have to make the bold contention that perhaps she reigns supreme when she departs from the obviously devastating narratives that accompany most frequently, piano. She shines the most when she delves into that teasingly riot-grrrl-like sound and popstar princess harmonies.
Some particular favorites from her sophomore album include:
all-american b*tch
bad idea right?
ballad of a homeschooled girl
get him back! (which weirdly reminds me of Loser by Beck?)
pretty isn’t pretty
The release of Olivia’s sophomore album leads me to believe a promising career lies ahead of her, coming from someone who was once concerned it would be incredibly challenging for her to retire that Disney Channel iconography without going full-blown Miley. But Olivia has done it, and with admirable flair. True to herself in every way.
Yet it hasn’t stopped the inevitable pitchforks of haters worldwide from rising up, as they are wont to do. From complaints of her somewhat “childish” marketing to her own career’s remarkable resemblance to that of Olivia’s role model, Taylor Swift, every opportunity there is to take Olivia down is an opportunity the masses will make use of. It’s giving me a bit of deja vu.
Olivia’s similarity to Taylor isn’t coincidental, and I don’t mean to insinuate in any way that her press team intentionally modeled her image after the cultural icon. What I mean instead is that the perpetual cycle of misogyny that any woman in the industry has to face once she steps in the ring hasn’t changed at all. It seems like the Internet’s favorite crime is hating women.
Still, I laud Olivia for her success and hope to see this fellow Filipina continue killing the game. She’s captured girlhood in such an authentic manner, and has ultimately made September a month for her to dominate the radio waves. It takes an insane blend of talent and courage to produce the artist that is Olivia Rodrigo.
So dear reader, I ask you—when was the last time you bore your guts out to an audience of millions? When will we drop the grudge we have against teenage girls?
Olivia is the all-american b*tch that hopes to answer these questions. Not a bad idea, right?
Final Album Rating: 8.5/10
Photo Credit: Fandom Wiki
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