Countdown to the Album of the Year, #2- “SOUR”

The song quickly rose to fame and was consecutively at the top of the charts for about nine weeks. She then released another single “deja vu” in April of the same year and later “good 4 u” a month later in May.

All of these songs are on the American singer-songwriter’s debut album, “Sour,” released on May 21, 2021. Despite this being her first album, Rodrigo is not a novice to the music industry nor Hollywood. She, like many, got her start on Disney channel, notably starring in Bizaardvark from 2016 to 2019. Then playing a main character in Disney’s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, where her first hit song, “All I Want” is from.

The album shows her tremendous vocals and great potential for her future music. The punchy pop-rock and somber, heartbreaking ballads give the album a great variety of songs. Regardless of the genre of song she writes, her lyrics are always stunning. One thing she does really well is tell a story through her lyrics. She is as much a storyteller as she is a singer.

Rodrigo’s album has definitely become a staple album for teenagers, with relatable teenage anthems like “brutal” and break-up songs like “drivers license.” That being said, teenagers aren’t the only ones who will find her album relatable. 

In an age where social media is everywhere, “jealousy, jealousy” the ninth track on “SOUR” with lyrics like “all I see is what I should be happier, prettier, jealousy, jealousy” and “co-comparison is killin’ me slowly I think, I think too much ’bout kids who don’t know me” 

Rodrigo has confessed that Talor Swift is one of her favorite artists and idols and this influence can be seen all throughout her music. One thing both artists have in common is the fact that the bridges of their songs are prominent to anyone who listens and always wonderfully done. In her song “1 step forward, 3 steps back,” she even sampled Swift’s song “New Year’s Day” from her album Reputation. 

Unlike a lot of other break-up songs, those on the album didn’t really antagonize anyone, especially the girl her ex dates after their break-up, specifically in “happier” Rodrigo goes as far as to say, “but she’s beautiful, she looks kind, she probably gives you butterflies.” 

Proceeding her debut album which gained traction just as quickly as anything else she’s put out, Olivia Rodrigo announced she is going on tour, on Monday, December 6, 2021. Her tour starts on April 2, 2022 in San Francisco, California and ends on July 7, 2022 in London, United Kingdom.

“SOUR” is a short album consisting of 11 tracks, lasting 35 minutes, but within that short time, it tells a beautiful and personal narrative that many can relate to, regardless of age, gender, etc.