Elevator Pitch: Olivia Rodrigo

The year is 2021 and only a single song is being played on the radio. There is only one song that everyone is humming, and relating to, even though they are not experiencing the same emotional intensity. ‘drivers license,’ the song that has changed Olivia Rodrigo’s career and altered the balance of the music industry, is more than just a ballad about heartbreak.

Starting her career with acting, Rodrigo succeeded in conquering the hearts of teenage girls from all over the world by releasing her first single. Besides heartbreak, Rodrigo criticises the beauty standards imposed on women and the ‘feminine’ perception forced upon women’s bodies and identities, going beyond the limits of the stereotypical qualities associated with common love songs. Moreover, she touches upon these themes in some of her songs like ‘enough for you’ and ‘jealousy, jealousy’ from her record-breaking, three-time Grammy winner album SOUR and uses her lyrics as a tool to reflect the struggles of modern women.

GUTS, [ Rodrigo’s ] second album, becomes a medium for her to spill her guts literally and connect with her listeners on a different level

However, sharing this fragile state of hers with all its rawness through a genuine tone caused her to gain both sympathetic and negative reactions. Yet, being compared to the big names in the music industry and coming face to face with these names due to the similarities in the production of her songs only opened the way for Rodrigo to experiment with different genres of music and find her own style in GUTS.

GUTS, her second album, becomes a medium for her to spill her guts literally and connect with her listeners on a different level. Rodrigo offers an insight into the unattainable ideal beauty and how it plants the seeds of insecurities in women and the feeling of being lost at nineteen through her sharp and exposing narrative. Through this tone, Rodrigo sets her unreachable celebrity status aside and appears as a pen pal, a confidant that you share your diary with.

Olivia Rodrigo made a name for herself in music history and became a singer that everyone should listen to

By releasing the deluxe version of her sophomore album GUTS (spilled) back in May 2024, Rodrigo proves how she is not limiting herself to the genres of pop and rock, emphasising how she is on an experimental journey to find her true style. With ‘girl i’ve always been’ Rodrigo sets sail to the country genre and refuses the musical identity associated with her, indicating that she is not all about heartbreak.

Olivia Rodrigo made a name for herself in music history and became a singer that everyone should listen to. She becomes a partner in grief to women from all age groups since her works aim to unite them under their collective struggles. Moreover, she took action to turn her goal into reality back in 2023 by launching an initiative called fund 4 good. Through this platform, Olivia donated the income she obtained from her GUTS World Tour to multiple organisations that aim to create a fair and brighter future for women, such as: National Network of Abortion Funds, Women’s Shelters Canada, and Women Against Violence Europe.