How Olivia Rodrigo Became Pop's Biggest Star

[@thawabalh]

I think Olivia is a talented vocalist and writer. And you're right, she may not be the best performer, but she's still a new artist and she's working on it!

[@popdissected4400]

Totally agree! I LOVE her raw vocals. I thought her VMA performance of "good 4 u" was spectacular, even if she was out of breath in the final chorus. What really sold me on her vocal talent was her performing that song for her "SOUR Prom". My jaw was on the floor. The energy of that song alongside the dancing - all on her OWN? Awesome.

[@islandrebelmakeup4653]

She’s really good for her age. She has solid presence and energy. She just needs to get used to it and try out different things.

[@fkaangel]

i think olivia has a lot of potential to cement herself, but i feel like it’s difficult to say an artist has cemented themselves off their debut. olivia definitely has the talent to keep going and growing though

[@popdissected4400]

I agree with this for sure! Her success has really made her _the_ pop star right now, but with such an intensely strong debut, it's hard to follow that up or keep it consistent. That's of course speaking in terms of just numbers. That aside, it's going to be cool for such a wide audience to literally grow up with her.

[@joannaj.2787]

She's 19 this year. It will be interesting to watch her grow up, make a transition from teen idol to more mature artist. She's gonna have to do it at some point, her music now is very relatable to teenagers who are her main audience but that is going to stop working eventually. It'll be interesting for sure if she sticks around

[@popdissected4400]

I definitely agree with this 100%! She's tapped into a specific age group with her music. But what I think will be very beneficial for her is she'll be able to grow up with her audience as they grow up as well. This could seriously help her relevance - I can only imagine the writing material. Olivia definitely has some spunk in her, but I'm curious to see what approach she'll take to maturing; whether it's style of writing, the graphicness of what she writes and so on.

[@namanh8439]

One thing that Olivia got right: she is a generationally-aware artist. She made songs about herself but for the audiences. Her music is about her experience and grows within it, so she will always have inspirations to write about. She will have a big fanbase that stay loyal to her because she herself created a journey to anyone that listens. As she matures, her music and fans will also be mature with her

[@popdissected4400]

Couldn't have said it better myself!

[@200mb_juicebox6]

I love the way she makes her music , her style , and her aesthetic it’s different than other western artists

[@popdissected4400]

🙌

[@islandrebelmakeup4653]

It’s very derisive of emo/punk, with a glam flair. You can see her style in all these aspects in artists like alanis Morissette, Avril Lavigne, and Hayley Williams.

[@otterwithadarkside4422]

I'm just so proud of her! I watched her on Bizaardvark and I never thought she would get this big! She just makes me so happy and her album is a MASTERPIECE!!!! I'm SO excited to see what the future has in store for her!

[@popdissected4400]

Yess!

[@08_ikomangokasaputra66]

The NPR Tiny Desk Concert is my favorite performance of her. I can't wait to her next step

[@popdissected4400]

Yesss!

[@ศุภณัฐพงษ์ปรีชา]

I think her debut is very big and that's good. But, I want her next album to be more specific and consistent. It's good to make an album with a variety of genres, but it's also good to focus on one genre. She really should go rock because her voice fits it. Just my personal opinion.

[@popdissected4400]

I can agree with that! I think she's pretty honed in to what genre(s) suit her, but it could be a nice change to see her hold some tonal consistency next album.

[@the_rivermen2590]

She probably would do rock BUT that's the genre she has to work on performing live so she probably wouldn't.

[@thankuslay6766]

I think releasing record with specific genre is quite risky especially for sophomore album. Sophomore album can be succesful or failed. It depends on the momentum (the gap from debut album is not more than 2 years), it should have another hits to solidify her fans and appeal. Then, on the 3rd album she may shake it up.

[@islandrebelmakeup4653]

I want her to do an album that’s like alt-pop-rock. I think her shining moments on this album are brutal, good 4 u, deja vu, and jealousy jealousy, so if she holds true to that with her next album that’d be really cool.

[@islandrebelmakeup4653]

@@the_rivermen2590 she has a solid stage presence and is high energy onstage. From the first viewing of her at Austin city limits I could see this energy. She certainly has it, just needs a tiny bit more practice.

[@rubygarcia7872]

She is incredibly talented and deserves all the fame she is overhated bc people always love to tear down new young female artists for some reason 😶 Her future is bright

[@popdissected4400]

People love to tear down young succesful women for some reason...

[@callumcartini]

Actually, WHY DONT WE HAVE POPULAR SONGS WRITTEN ABOUT TAX RETURNS??!!?? yeah, it might be a boring subject but if a few talented songwriters get together and write a really good song on the topic, we might just have one of the most relatable songs ever. Edit : Punctuation.

[@slystone4892]

Well the only one I know is Taxman from the Beatles but I agree with you.

[@popdissected4400]

Hahahahah! 😂

[@TheRareVideosXL]

Olivia Rodrigo has a bright future ahead and is here to stay. I loved her debut album Sour from 2021. Great video. I'm looking forward to more content. Keep it up.

[@popdissected4400]

Thank you so much!

[@TheRareVideosXL]

@@popdissected4400 Welcome. :)

[@thawabalh]

Olivia has had a huge breakout year and I wish her more success in the near future!

[@popdissected4400]

Same here!

[@VIRGOvirgo-SpicyPISCES]

Yaaaaas! That's my queen OLIVIA RODRIGO.. the Gen Z Pop Superstar. Love her music so much. I'm just so proud of her, her talent and her success. She really deserves all the success. BTW, I enjoyed watching this video. Thanks! 🤟🏻🥰🤟🏻

[@popdissected4400]

I'm gladdd you enjoyed it!!!

[@VIRGOvirgo-SpicyPISCES]

@@popdissected4400 yaaaaas. 🤟🏻😘🤟🏻

[@thedaydreamgallery]

Im so proud of Olivia! 2021 was an amazing year for her.

[@popdissected4400]

Agreed!

[@PureHoneyBoo]

I think her success will prevail. There is no longer any young pop acts that teenagers can relate to. She is the future of this new generation of artists and as long as her music is good she will be fine.

[@popdissected4400]

Definitely agree with this statement!

[@nonzerx2428]

Olivia Rodrigo is a new artist and she blew up because she starred at High School Musical, Bizardwark, etc. and drivers license made her massive.

[@popdissected4400]

Yes

[@kobiburmeister]

i think something so amazing is that she’s so unexpected, I feel no pop artists ever have made rock music in the way she has, she’s revived the pop rock genre and influenced so many artists to do it

[@popdissected4400]

Agreed!

[@bigtyme73]

I definitely don’t think Olivia is a trend. I feel like she’s solidified her place in music for a while. She’s very impressive to a lot of main stream artists including some artist that she idolizes. Sour is one of the most cohesive albums I’ve seen in a while. It has a certain flow to it.

[@popdissected4400]

Couldn't have said it better myself!

[@Robloxwithstacey]

She is just talented and she is improving which I think is the most important

[@chromaticasforecast4419]

As much as I appreciate and like Olivia, I feel like I'm the only one who has noticed that she has been "struggling" since 'good 4 u' . 'brutal' didn't make noise and 'traitor's potential was HIGHLY wasted (so is happening with 'happier' for not being a single). I just hope she doesn't turn into a massive trend that started and ended in 2021, who lives off 'good 4 u' and 'driver's license' .

[@popdissected4400]

One thing that is interesting, is there was any interview with some Interscope Records executives and one revealed they were actually hesitant to take a chance on Olivia because of the fear of her being a "trendy" artist. However upon meeting with her and working alongside her, his perspective changed. "brutal" definitely did not hit the same way her other singles did, which is surprising in my opinion. It arguably performed the "worst" out of her singles. "deja vu" and "traitor" had varying but strong positions for the most part. With all the songs charting on the Hot 100, it makes sense that the latter singles; "traitor" and "brutal" didn't outdo their original peak however. But as with to see what will come next, we can only get a better gauge once she sets out on tour.

[@dannyrivera2733]

@@popdissected4400 I think both songs could’ve performed better had they been given the same promotion to one or the other. While I love the Brutal music video, I would’ve appreciated it if they gave Traitor a music video since that was the single pushed to pop radio and could’ve helped it become a bigger hit, especially since it was rising on the charts anyways. I don’t think people are disinterested with her, I think the promotion singles after Good 4 U should’ve been given to just one of the songs instead of splitting it between two.

[@popdissected4400]

​@@dannyrivera2733 Yeah, for sure. When having two singles out especially within a month of each other - that's tricky promotion. I feel like it could be a possibility there wasn't "immediate" success akin to "good 4 u" with "traitor" so they just went to "brutal" because it matched the sound more of "g4u". It could be possible they abandoned promotion in favor for the sound they felt would succeed more. Which that also begs the question (using this assumption) if they wanted "brutal" to be bigger, why didn't they release it first and THEN focus their efforts on "traitor"? There's definitely no lack of interest in Olivia, just odd approaches to the promotion after "g4u".

[@dannyrivera2733]

@@popdissected4400 And It’s especially strange, since Traitor was a slow climb on the charts anyway but was pretty close to re-peaking in the top 10 around November-ish and hit the top 10 on pop radio. Ballads tend to do well in the fall and winter time, so it wouldn’t have seen immediate success since it was released towards the end of summer but if they had tried to do more performances and pushed the single around November when it was beginning to rise back on the charts, it would’ve been a big hit.

[@juliesummers5145]

I feel like they probably stopped giving her as much focused promotion on her singles for fear of overexposure. She did promote Traitor quite a bit by doing performances on various award shows. But now she's back to filming HSMTMTS, and she'll probably drop a new song before going on tour (if nothing else than to have a longer set list).

[@suoutubez19]

She’s super talented and basically a prodigy! Can’t wait for a bunch of people to say that she’s overrated (sarcasm). Every single popular female singer is called “overrated” at some people. People can’t fathom their success and staying power

[@popdissected4400]

Your last statement is straight facts.

[@omarib8867]

Olivia Rodrigo is one of my favorite pop stars ever

[@ronaldoroach2029]

Olivia was a great icon and a great singer and talented musician and she’s has been acting two tv shows like bizaardvark and high school musical the musical the series since Dropping her single drivers license she has breaking records as hottest hits like deja vu and good 4 u she released her first debut single brutal she was released it she has working her producer dan nigro he produced her tracks are sad as musical career

[@lxm1tsski2]

Olivia’s game can simply not be explained she walked and one day js sprinted since then she hasn’t stopped

[@L_oliviarodrigosbiggestfan]

I do adore olivia Rodrigo she’s got such a running voiceeeee

[@honeybadger3395]

Haven't seen the video yet, but I think you made a slight typo there. I think you meant "How Olivia Rodrigo became" instead of "become".

[@popdissected4400]

Omg, just noticed that! Thank you!

[@xaulsanz4511]

Surprisedly she doesn’t feel a manufacture artist yet it has collected legitimacy and somehow indie music vibes.

[@popdissected4400]

Agree!

[@taylipa]

She is the New Princess Of Pop!! She is Taylors heir 💥💥

[@popdissected4400]

Like mother like daughter

[@auandaily]

Nah. Taylor's heir that she really adores and even asks her to collab with her is Phoebe Brigers ❤️

[@thawabalh]

Can you do more artist or album spotlights like these?

[@popdissected4400]

For sure!

[@strawberrylov3r333]

She’s def not gonna be a trend she’s gonna be like t swift because well, Taylor started out in the country music scene back when she first started when she released fearless her music started to get popular with songs like love story and you belong with me. I bet that Olivia will not have a sophomore slump and it will do successful as sour did I can’t wait to see more music from her and up coming projects. Also I really wanna video fo Sabrina carpenter and why she isn’t succeeding in the industry and why she’s still being know for just the song that Olivia wrote about her.

[@popdissected4400]

Love that idea about Sabrina - noted! And I don't see Olivia having a sophomore slump. Part of me has hesitancy saying that because after such a massive debut - you wonder how an artist can reach those heights again. However, we've seen _plenty_ of other singers do it, so there's no telling!

[@myfavoriteshirt]

I think my only issue with Olivia is that I compare her to Billie Eillish. People keep saying Olivia needs time to grow and to give her more time but I can’t help but to think about the fact that Billie was 15 and came out with a more distinct sound, image and message in her music. Also I feel like Billie appealed to the teen crowd when she came out but also had a widespread appeal versus Olivia who feels like she’s just for teens.

[@thawabalh]

What's your fav track off SOOUR? Mine are Deja Vu, Good 4 U and Traitor. I know, I know, they're the popular ones but they're still my faves!

[@suoutubez19]

I like Jealousy, Jealousy and Deja Vu :)

[@popdissected4400]

Oooh, definitely "good 4 u". It goes SO hard. "jealousy, jealousy" and "brutal" are my two other favorites right now. I appreciate her slower songs, but I live for the rock-laden tracks.

[@pixie77531]

i love all of her songs

[@taylipa]

Sour is the best album of 2021 ❤

[@popdissected4400]

I'll say, I only listened to "SOUR"'s singles up until a few months ago and it's a great album. Wish I didn't sleep on it for so long!

[@taylipa]

@@popdissected4400 Yea

[@thawabalh]

I'm curious...which artists or albums do you think have influenced modern music more than any other??

[@takemyhand1988]

Amy winehouse, adele and lorde. People may not think they are influential, but if you look at changes in the industry after them you will find how they are influential.

[@pixie77531]

i think madonna and janet jackson they both influenced many female artists

[@takemyhand1988]

@UCU3ZqIr76hvocw4_IaXjilg she might be trash. But she definitely changed the music industry

[@takemyhand1988]

@UCU3ZqIr76hvocw4_IaXjilg also have you heard melodrama?

[@takemyhand1988]

My one criticism is I hope she improves her songwriting style. Not the subject matter or emotions, but the words and phrases she use.

[@popdissected4400]

I get that, I'll be interested to see who she expands her own vocabulary over time.

[@bassalchemist]

Mickey Mouse $$ + Brilliant Marketing + good writing = Success. I'm not mocking her music or fan base,I'm glad kids want to learn how to play her songs,why wouldn't I? I might be an old metal dude but I'm also a bass teacher. Music is a great hobby and an aspiration at any age,so if I can help someone else discover themselves on their life-long musical journey and get paid,all the better. I don't necessarily care which artist they want to learn first. I genuinely like the history of popular music and the direction it's going in now with the newer artists. It may not always be my cup of tea per se,but if you're going to teach it,you're going to have to listen to it. Might as well make it fun to learn a new song for students rather than acting like you hate just because it isn't the pop you grew up with.

[@chaplin139]

She will fade on her next album just like the rest.

[@popdissected4400]

Who...is the rest?

[@takemyhand1988]

@@popdissected4400 Alanis Morissette?

[@auandaily]

if she wins BNA at the grammys, she might. the curse has already started on megan thee stallion.

[@chaplin139]

@@popdissected4400 Billie's sophomore album for example bombed. Megan Trainor's 2nd album flopped, Iggy Azalea, Adam Lambert second efforts failed significantly as well.

[@popdissected4400]

@@auandaily Not the "Best New Artist" curse...

[@Unknown-dt3kf]

she strikes me as the kind of girl who would be cocky after fame changes her

[@auandaily]

Her whole thing doesn't attract me and Misery Business is still better than good 4 u. I would say that she is not a vocalist but she can sing, I think but not on par with aritsts like Ariana or Tori but her vocals are impressive for an artist she wants to be: a singer-songwriter. Wish her all the best.

[@popdissected4400]

I can understand your perspective. She's still got room to grow vocally; everyone starts somewhere!

[@sorntrash]

Money and connections, That’s it. Hardly any artist these days have an organic growth. Her record label has connections with Streaming services and radio so she gets more radio play and streams. It’s a business not a fairy tale story. 😂

[@Jayjay_07]

I don't get the hype around her even though I love good 4 u and the album definitely is unique but I feel like the teens hyped her up as someone we have never seen before. Not like she has to reinvent the wheel but I'm curious to see how she holds up.

[@popdissected4400]

I can understand this perspective! I feel that she really has connected with a specific age group in a way a lot of artists can't. Olivia is VERY geared towards teens. I don't think we've had an artist that has honed in on such a specific age group in a while. I don't believe Olivia is this "never before done" type of artist, but I think with the aspects I discussed, it's cultivated a unique and very strong type of connection with that specific audience.

[@takemyhand1988]

@@popdissected4400 i mean Taylor and Avril had done it a while ago

[@popdissected4400]

@@takemyhand1988 Of course! But as I stated, "in a while". I should have specified I meant within the context of an artist starting out in their career. Both Taylor and Avril did it in their start. Of course they still connect with those age ranges, but currently their music is so specifically geared towards teens as it was in the beginning.

[@Sapphire901]

Here in Europe no one knows who she is though 😳

[@popdissected4400]

Omg 😭

[@Sapphire901]

@@popdissected4400 Dua Lipa is huge here though

[@popdissected4400]

@@Sapphire901 Oooh I bet!!

[@the_rivermen2590]

??? Sour went #1 in multiple countries here, including the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Sweden.

[@keangutierrez3655]

WTF I love Europe now

[@EngineerDJ_Julius]

I like her music, and I hope that she stays away from T Swift

[@nessgabe1050]

FLIPINA VERY TALENTED 🇵🇭...SINIGANG SOUR 🙂

[@namanh8439]

I think itz too much to call her an "all-time" artist...

[@popdissected4400]

True, true. I mean more so in current times, not in the grand scheme of every artist that exists.

[@hasanhosh1742]

Do doja cat next

[@popdissected4400]

Oooh yes!

[@ChristineA01]

i don't feel her fame anymore 😂 like what happened??

[@The.new.gandhi]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@popdissected4400]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@JB-pl1iu]

I still don't know one song she sings.

[@popdissected4400]

Me neither....I think she has one song that's about driving a car? I don't know tho

[@takemyhand1988]

@@popdissected4400 nah. She has one about cycling through streets of Italy while the smell of pizza and wine overwhelms the air as she enters her apartment where she looks out to see the multicoloured sky that reminds of the sky piccaso used in his paintings.