Olivia Rodrigo Enters New Era With “Vampire”
Olivia Rodrigo has returned for the start of a new era with the release of a new single, “Vampire.” The angsty and expressive single comes after a successful start from Rodrigo. Her debut album Sour took the charts and teen culture by storm beginning with her first single “Drivers License” in January 2021. Rodrigo continued to gain popularity with “Deja Vu,” “Good 4 U,” and the full release of the album. Rodrigo was highly-nominated during the 2021 and 2022 award season, winning many, including Best New Artist, Best Pop Solo Album, and Best Pop Vocal Album.
While Rodrigo had an incredibly impressive start to her career, “Vampire” proves she is not slowing down. The new single, produced by Dan Nigro, starts as a slower piano ballad, similar to “Drivers License.” It begins to pick up in the second verse with a strong drum beat. Throughout the song, Rodrigo directly sings to someone with feelings of hurtful realization.
“[W]riting this song helped me sort through lots of feelings of regret, anger, and heartache,” Olivia Rodrigo said on her Instagram shortly after the release of the song. She continued, “[I]t’s one of my favorite songs on the album and it felt very cathartic to finish.”
“Vampire” is accompanied by a new music video directed by Petra Collins who has previously worked with Rodrigo on music videos for “Good 4 U” and “Brutal.” In the video, Rodrigo can be seen performing at an award show until she gets hit with a stage light and technical difficulties begin happening. As she is taken off the stage by security, she runs off into Los Angeles and flies into the sky as the song reaches its crescendo. As they are sung directly into the camera, viewers can witness the emotions of the lyrics.
“Vampire” is the first single from Olivia Rodrigo’s second album, Guts. Guts releases on September 8th, 2023, via Geffen Records.
Featured Image Credit: Larissa Hofmann