The lead single from Olivia Rodrigo‘s new album GUTS, “vampire,” seems very obviously to be about a relationship gone wrong, which is why Olivia can’t believe that some people think it’s about Taylor Swift.
As The Guardian reports, some fans thought that Olivia’s lyrics “bloodsucker, fame f*****, bleedin’ me dry like a god**** vampire” was inspired by the fact that she gave 50% of the royalties for “Good 4 U” to Taylor because of its resemblance to “Cruel Summer.” What does Olivia say about that theory?
“How do I answer this?” she tells The Guardian. “I mean, I never want to say who any of my songs are about. I’ve never done that before in my career and probably won’t. I think it’s better to not pigeonhole a song to being about this one thing.” She adds, “I was very surprised when people thought that.”
That being said, The Guardian says GUTS contains “several songs about being gaslit by chaotic older men.” When asked if those relationships were “abusive,” Olivia says, “I don’t really know the exact definition. I’d just describe it as not great! Not ideal.”
Explaining why she might have been drawn to this type of guy, Olivia says, “It’s a classic good-girl, bad-boy trope! Sometimes when you feel you have to be perfect all the time, you have to find the chaos in your life a different way.”
But Olivia wants to make it clear that GUTS isn’t a breakup album. As she puts it, “It’s so much about growing up and finding your footing in the world.”
“It’s a unique experience,” says Olivia about being a pop star. “There’s no rulebook. That’s the beauty and the anxiety of this job. You forge your own path.”
GUTS is out September 8.
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