Olivia Rodrigo Says Her New Album Is Full of ‘Sad Love Songs’: ‘It Was a Creative Challenge to Write From a Joyful Place’
Olivia Rodrigo is slowly revealing details about her upcoming third album, telling British Vogue in a new cover story that it’s full of “sad love songs.”
The 23-year-old pop star’s follow-up to 2023’s “Guts” has been hotly anticipated, with eagle-eyed fans looking for clues anywhere they can find them. For example, the background of her website recently changed from a lavender purple to a shade of baby pink, and her block-lettered “OR” logo has been replaced by a softer, more swirly version. Fans have reported that this new aesthetic has also appeared on a mural in L.A. and a lock found in London, with the word “April” written on the side.
Though Rodrigo doesn’t reveal the album’s release date or title, she teased some of its themes to British Vogue. “It was a creative challenge to write from a joyful place,” she said. “When you’re experiencing that you’re connected to someone, or feeling really good, you’re not in your head thinking about bittersweet poems!”
During the interview, Rodrigo played British Vogue three songs, which writer Amel Mukhtar described as “instantly transporting, cinematic and so intimate.” Rodrigo confirmed that they’re all “sad love songs,” adding: “I realized all my favorite romantic love songs were beautiful because they had a tinge of fear or yearning in them.”
As British Vogue reports, one song is about “the spirituality of finding the man of your dreams.” Though Rodrigo doesn’t directly address her relationship status with British actor Louis Partridge, which has been the subject of many rumors in recent months, she told British Vogue: “The person that the song is about is great.”
Mukhtar wrote that the next song “traces the withdrawal symptoms of separation.” It’s inspired by Miranda and Steve’s relationship in “Sex and the City,” Rodrigo said, particularly Miranda’s heartbreaking quote: “Whenever something funny happens, I always want to tell you about it.”
The third song is about the realizing that “love won’t fix you” and is described by British Vogue as “dancier” and “experimental,” with an “orchestral end.” Rodrigo said the song is “what I think being in love feels like”.
“You’re getting to the core of all of your issues: how you feel about yourself, your insecurities, what makes you joyful,” she added. “It feels like the most raw form of you, which is so scary and terrifying and uncomfortable, sometimes, but beautiful at times.”
Rodrigo is no stranger to speculation about her personal life, with rumors swirling upon the release of her debut single “Drivers License” in 2021 that it was about her ex-boyfriend Joshua Bassett and fellow Disney-kid-turned-pop-star Sabrina Carpenter. A few months after the release of her first album “Sour,” Rodrigo told Variety in a cover story: “I don’t really subscribe to hating other women because of boys. I think that’s so stupid, and I really resent that narrative that was being tossed around.”
She’s since been spotted chatting to Carpenter at awards shows, and told British Vogue: “I think she’s great. I’m so happy for all of her success too. I love the album she’s put out.” After a pause where British Vogue wrote that she seemed “tense,” Rodrigo added, “No, no, no, it’s good. It’s just people just get weird and clickbaity – it’s all love, though. I’ve talked to her many times.”
Read Rodrigo’s full British Vogue cover story here.
The 23-year-old pop star’s follow-up to 2023’s “Guts” has been hotly anticipated, with eagle-eyed fans looking for clues anywhere they can find them. For example, the background of her website recently changed from a lavender purple to a shade of baby pink, and her block-lettered “OR” logo has been replaced by a softer, more swirly version. Fans have reported that this new aesthetic has also appeared on a mural in L.A. and a lock found in London, with the word “April” written on the side.
Though Rodrigo doesn’t reveal the album’s release date or title, she teased some of its themes to British Vogue. “It was a creative challenge to write from a joyful place,” she said. “When you’re experiencing that you’re connected to someone, or feeling really good, you’re not in your head thinking about bittersweet poems!”
During the interview, Rodrigo played British Vogue three songs, which writer Amel Mukhtar described as “instantly transporting, cinematic and so intimate.” Rodrigo confirmed that they’re all “sad love songs,” adding: “I realized all my favorite romantic love songs were beautiful because they had a tinge of fear or yearning in them.”
As British Vogue reports, one song is about “the spirituality of finding the man of your dreams.” Though Rodrigo doesn’t directly address her relationship status with British actor Louis Partridge, which has been the subject of many rumors in recent months, she told British Vogue: “The person that the song is about is great.”
Mukhtar wrote that the next song “traces the withdrawal symptoms of separation.” It’s inspired by Miranda and Steve’s relationship in “Sex and the City,” Rodrigo said, particularly Miranda’s heartbreaking quote: “Whenever something funny happens, I always want to tell you about it.”
The third song is about the realizing that “love won’t fix you” and is described by British Vogue as “dancier” and “experimental,” with an “orchestral end.” Rodrigo said the song is “what I think being in love feels like”.
“You’re getting to the core of all of your issues: how you feel about yourself, your insecurities, what makes you joyful,” she added. “It feels like the most raw form of you, which is so scary and terrifying and uncomfortable, sometimes, but beautiful at times.”
Rodrigo is no stranger to speculation about her personal life, with rumors swirling upon the release of her debut single “Drivers License” in 2021 that it was about her ex-boyfriend Joshua Bassett and fellow Disney-kid-turned-pop-star Sabrina Carpenter. A few months after the release of her first album “Sour,” Rodrigo told Variety in a cover story: “I don’t really subscribe to hating other women because of boys. I think that’s so stupid, and I really resent that narrative that was being tossed around.”
She’s since been spotted chatting to Carpenter at awards shows, and told British Vogue: “I think she’s great. I’m so happy for all of her success too. I love the album she’s put out.” After a pause where British Vogue wrote that she seemed “tense,” Rodrigo added, “No, no, no, it’s good. It’s just people just get weird and clickbaity – it’s all love, though. I’ve talked to her many times.”
Read Rodrigo’s full British Vogue cover story here.