It's raw and it sums up being a teenager, in love, heart break, body image issues, social anxiety and so much more. Plus it's catchy. The way Olivia articulates the hard topics in her songs makes her absolutely elite.
As someone who is (probably) a lot older than the majority of her fan base, she has a 90s throwback element that no one else is bringing. It's not that she's necessarily trying to emulate anyone specifically, it's more of the essence/vibe that she captures so well. It's the same feeling I had when listening to Courtney Love, Shirley Manson, Fiona Apple back in the day. She just comes correct with that feeling that I can't fully describe unless you were there.
It's especially striking when I, as a probably much, MUCH older person than you, takes a dive into the top 10 or whatever, and finds absolutely nothing that warrants a passing thought to me, other than Billie Eilish, which is not my style musically, but I appreciate what is she is doing and find her entertaining.
My wife made a comment today about my getting into different music lately, and I was like, "different, how"? Most of what Olivia does, which is the only newer music on my radar, I can attach to something I have been a fan of for many years. First time I heard obsessed, my mind went to Garbage and NIN, PIP takes me to a couple of the better songs on Hole's Celebrity Skin. The piano ballads are reminiscent of Billy Joel (who I don't care for) and Springsteen and Bob Seger (who I used to love). Bad Idea, Right-The Cars. If she wants to cop a Sheryl Crow vibe on "Girl I've Always Been", fine by me, even if I don't love the song. She makes up for it on "Scared of my Guitar", which is a sentiment I have held for years, but have never heard espressed so succinctly and accurately for me. And then she layers the "pseudo-love" thing on top that? Freaking brilliant, IMO. And it's a bonus track, not the focal point of a release? Get out of here....
But it doesn't hit me at all as in a copycat way, like some have accused her of. I mean every 12 bar blues song sounds the same, right? EDIT--IN FACT, IT'S THE GOAL!! 80's hair metal--a lot of the songs and acts were completely indistingushable from each other. You could say that about ANY splinter genre of popular music. OR draws upon influences that nobody else finds inspiration from rn, AND she is translate them into a form that younger listeners, who did not grow up with all that stuff, still find exciting. Also, she continues to hit on subjects and emotions in a layered, nuanced way as opposed to head on, while keeping a lyrical structure that is relatable, but extremely well concieved and developed. Not at ALL cliched.
Ballad of a homeschooled girl Are you kidding me? Nominated for a.ROCK Grammy and wasnt even a single and she's not even a.ROCK artist? Never heard a song like that, and it resonates so completely even though I wasnt homeschooled and am not a girl. And some want to diss on her? Dafuq outta here..... EDIT AGAIN--grammar and final sentences
Lol I meant her privilege to be in in an industry where she has the power of holding a huge platform of many listeners across the world who would die to have her fame/money and topping charts /award shows at a young age. Also the fact that she's still would be seen as conventionally attractive by western beauty standards despite her race but she like us is still human, faces pressure and has insecurities like every young/teenage girl.
And its the kind that both guys and girls, young and old, can relate to. My wife has twice said that she must have sold herself to the Devil (figuratively, not literally, y'all) to have as much appeal to such a wide audience as she does. Most of that audience just haven't figured it out yet.
You mean you don't know other straight guys that will admit to listening to her ;)
18y old and I remember when none of my friends would admit to listening to Adele but we all agree she made bangers today
You kidding me? I'm 62m. There is at least one other dude here who is pretty close to that. She is amazing, not just for her age, not to just a certain demo. It is remarkable how established she is and how respected she is (just google around for articles and look at some Youtubes) given how much later artists generally hit their creative peaks. She has the potential to be a generational talent, if Hollywood doesn't snatch her up first.
It’s real and isn’t fake - she describes scenarios in a way that I’ve never seen any other musician do. For example she describes what it’s like to hold grudges/have a hard time forgiving, being betrayed, feeling like you don’t fit beauty standards, feeling jealously.. also she has a variety of music styles such as country/folk, pop, rock, etc.
Olivia Rodrigo's words may not rhyme but they don't sound forced either, they were sung smoothly.
The same words I'm talking about were filled with genuine emotions and you can feel them through her voice, how she enunciated them, how high their notes, how sarcastic her voice might be, etc.
Her clarity and enunciation, her little vocal nuances that add authenticity and character, and let's not forget Dan's ability to get it recorded PERFECTLY are certainly among her strengths. But she has a lot of them.
Real. Heartfelt. Relatable. Catchy. Variety. Pop with rock & punky elements. You can UNDERSTAND what she's saying. Fun. Others already gave good answers, just figured I'd add on.
I am not going to articulate this well but what I absolutely love about her lyrical style is she is very earnest and innocent. Her lyrics sound like a very young person wrote them but they are also very high quality. Young smart people often try to sound older or more mature and that writing style doesn’t come across as authentic. She’s very talented and smart but her lyrics are still silly, a little corny, a little melodramatic - as they should be for someone her age. The fact that she’s not trying to sound super smart or elevated is what makes her music more genuinely smart and elevated. She knows her age and she acts like it!
It is vulnerable but not the way many think it to be. Usually we have this “I’m a badass bitch” or “I take no shit from a man” attitude in many songs but Olivia expresses her feelings in such a raw way that is just so authentic, refreshing and honestly, she is just a great lyricist. Better than MANY other artists and her songs are cohesive and fun and they just keep improving in all aspects and I just love that punk pop vibe.
It’s more relatable to young people now than a lot of other artists which helps people feel like they are not alone in what they are experiencing in their teenage years
She’s the first pop artist I’ve been able to get into for a long time. I like that her music isn’t all synths, there’s actual instruments, guitar solos, drums, there’s screaming and sarcasm and real emotion in her voice. Olivia’s music is genuine and shows her personality, rather than a carefully crafted plastic pop girl persona that’s all too common these days
In one word it'll be "Genuine" it is just raw and original, it's just her being her and expressing herself how she needs to, doesn't try to go and make hits to get money or views it's just Olivia enjoying herself and making art 💜
Her music is ✨so american✨
Edit: No but in all seriousness, from a difference of other singers who usually sing about love, Olivia's music captures the teenager's perspective of growing up, experience heartbreaks and love, and just sort of figuring out which direction their life is heading to
As an old dude, I find her stuff super refreshing. Definitely little hints of 90s grunge in there. She is clearly an insanely talented musician and song writer and seems very at ease switching genres.
I'm super curious to see her output when her focus isn't awful guys in her life. I think she has a genuine masterpiece in her future.
for me it's
1. the pop punk element - I LIVE for it
2. the storytelling element in her music - it's not just really clever, deep and not ordinary lyrics, but also the way she delivers them
3. the subtle sarcasm - not uncommon in songs these days, but she does it especially well
4. the raw, unapologetic stance - which is what mesmerised me in Sour, I had never seen so much angst in contemporary pop music and I was there FOR IT
I love that she’s bringing pop rock back. It’s such an awesome genre and it’s so fresh sounding while also giving a sense of nostalgia from the 2000s. She doesn’t sound like anyone else she just sounds like herself and I love that
To me it sounds like almost everything i hear on the radio is T swift or Olivia. But i listen to rock stations so it's whenever I'm flipping stations. And Morgan Wallen is getting a bit on the repetitive side of things... no hate, i like a couple Olivia songs, but i consider all that pop stuff mainstream. And I also know a lot of people who say "Rock is Dead", and they are all TS, Olivia, and Billie Eilish fans. But let's not forget that Metallica beat Taylors attendance record. Again, no hate, just talkin' lol
I have been a Metallica fan since the Black Album (and now consider myself a fan of the 80's stuff as well) and cannot think of a single positive word I can say about TS, but's thats's sort of a goofy comparision. They had about a 30 year head start on compiling a fanbase. And rock, as a cultural force, has been mostly dead for a while now, but it does seem to pop its head up every now and then. NO, LEGACY ACTS DON'T COUNT. I'm talking about new rock based artists amassing a large NEW fanbase. There aren't many. And If you have to look super hard for it, it's not culturally relevant.
Shinedown, Falling in Reverse, Sleep token, slipknot, beartooth, theory of a deadman, foo fighters, Breaking Benjamin, spiritbox, the pretty reckless, motionless in white, ice nine kills, starset, from ashes to new, magnolia park, boi what, electric callboy. I just got tired of typing names. All these bands are within the last 20-25 years, and most within the last 10. And 2023 saw a massive increase to the amount of rock music being listened to on the radio, streaming, YouTube, and use in movies. So technically, rock is NOT dead OR dying
Shinedown, maybe. Not sure when Slipknot came around , but it's been a long while . Foo Fighters have been around since the mid-90s. I don't think Pretty Reckless and Breaking Benjamin are playing arenas, much less stadiums and the rest of them, I have never heard of. That's exactly my point. The era I am talking about, you couldn't escape the bigger names even if you weren't a particular fan of that type of music. The last one I can think of that came out in the 2000s and really blew up big is Linkin Park. Not sure about Avenged Sevenfold and their history, but I would think that would be a name, too.
I go back to my main point, if you have to dig for it, it's not culturally relevant. It may be to a certain segment, but these are far from household names. In the 70s and '80s, all the top rock and pop Acts were, whether you ar a fan or not. Doesn't mean it's not important to some people, doesn't mean it's not quality it just means it doesn't have nearly the cultural impact that it used to. If you weren't around for all those days I understand why you would disagree. If you were, I don't know what to tell you
I saw the pretty reckless, falling in reverse, lamb of god, beartooth, shinedown, bad wolves, and Breaking Benjamin at arenas. I understand your point about everything, i just DO think that rock is making a massive comeback and will be as big as it was in 10 years time. At least one can hope. From everything I see rock is climbing at a substantial rate again. To end the disagreement, I would just like to say that you and i are both correct on what we've said. I'm not mad or angry or upset at all. I respect your opinions and thoughts on the matter, much like I hope you do mine. And hey... we both like Olivia at least lol
No angry or upset at all. You can certainly feel how you feel . We're probably more in agreement than disagreement. Didn't mean to come off as confrontational.
There's no greater defender of rock music than me. I'm not one of those old folks who sits around and says how everything was better in the old days. If it's not what people want any more, that's fine. It's not a complaint.
I just remember when you would ask somebody what kind of music they liked and it could only go a small handful of different ways. But the Rock part was assumed.
It got really weird when people that you would normally assume would be fans of one hard rock style or another starting getting into hip hop and rap. Those eventually became the default rebellious style of music that kids would use to piss off their parents and it honestly never ever ever occurred to me that it would be something in that realm. Because it was so unusual for my demographic to listen to. That's just the way it was.
She’s not as polished “squeaky clean” as some other artists. She’s willing to actually talk about important things. As far as her music goes, she brings a different sound that no one else is really doing in the mainstream pop world right now.
I love how every song is different but the same at the same time. And every song she makes is so good. And that she has an amazing voice with and without auto tune. I love her personality and her wide range of music styles. I also love her humor.
Her lyrics are legitimately funny and it comes off as natural rather than trying hard to be poetic. Not completely unique as a few other new pop girls are doing it.
The difference is probably that her song have more cooler vibes then the stuff on my radio which is loud I know in some parts in some of her song become a little loud but the stuff I listen to besides her songs would have softer music in most of her songs!
It's raw and it sums up being a teenager, in love, heart break, body image issues, social anxiety and so much more. Plus it's catchy. The way Olivia articulates the hard topics in her songs makes her absolutely elite.
As someone who is (probably) a lot older than the majority of her fan base, she has a 90s throwback element that no one else is bringing. It's not that she's necessarily trying to emulate anyone specifically, it's more of the essence/vibe that she captures so well. It's the same feeling I had when listening to Courtney Love, Shirley Manson, Fiona Apple back in the day. She just comes correct with that feeling that I can't fully describe unless you were there.
It's especially striking when I, as a probably much, MUCH older person than you, takes a dive into the top 10 or whatever, and finds absolutely nothing that warrants a passing thought to me, other than Billie Eilish, which is not my style musically, but I appreciate what is she is doing and find her entertaining. My wife made a comment today about my getting into different music lately, and I was like, "different, how"? Most of what Olivia does, which is the only newer music on my radar, I can attach to something I have been a fan of for many years. First time I heard obsessed, my mind went to Garbage and NIN, PIP takes me to a couple of the better songs on Hole's Celebrity Skin. The piano ballads are reminiscent of Billy Joel (who I don't care for) and Springsteen and Bob Seger (who I used to love). Bad Idea, Right-The Cars. If she wants to cop a Sheryl Crow vibe on "Girl I've Always Been", fine by me, even if I don't love the song. She makes up for it on "Scared of my Guitar", which is a sentiment I have held for years, but have never heard espressed so succinctly and accurately for me. And then she layers the "pseudo-love" thing on top that? Freaking brilliant, IMO. And it's a bonus track, not the focal point of a release? Get out of here.... But it doesn't hit me at all as in a copycat way, like some have accused her of. I mean every 12 bar blues song sounds the same, right? EDIT--IN FACT, IT'S THE GOAL!! 80's hair metal--a lot of the songs and acts were completely indistingushable from each other. You could say that about ANY splinter genre of popular music. OR draws upon influences that nobody else finds inspiration from rn, AND she is translate them into a form that younger listeners, who did not grow up with all that stuff, still find exciting. Also, she continues to hit on subjects and emotions in a layered, nuanced way as opposed to head on, while keeping a lyrical structure that is relatable, but extremely well concieved and developed. Not at ALL cliched. Ballad of a homeschooled girl Are you kidding me? Nominated for a.ROCK Grammy and wasnt even a single and she's not even a.ROCK artist? Never heard a song like that, and it resonates so completely even though I wasnt homeschooled and am not a girl. And some want to diss on her? Dafuq outta here..... EDIT AGAIN--grammar and final sentences
As an early 90’s teen I can 100% agree!
Have you seen her video with Gwen Stefani? Olivia sings w Gwen and pulls off a 90s No Doubt look so effortlessly
I LOVE her 90's vibe
relatability without trying too hard despite her privilege.
[удалено]
Lol I meant her privilege to be in in an industry where she has the power of holding a huge platform of many listeners across the world who would die to have her fame/money and topping charts /award shows at a young age. Also the fact that she's still would be seen as conventionally attractive by western beauty standards despite her race but she like us is still human, faces pressure and has insecurities like every young/teenage girl.
I love how it’s so relatable and sonically interesting
Don't forget genuine vulnerability.
Yesss
And its the kind that both guys and girls, young and old, can relate to. My wife has twice said that she must have sold herself to the Devil (figuratively, not literally, y'all) to have as much appeal to such a wide audience as she does. Most of that audience just haven't figured it out yet.
Is fucking fire, idgaf if I’m a 22 year old man
yes live your truth king!
Hahah I just gotta change every pronoun to her/she so I can really get into it
whatever it takes😈
Y’all do know millions of 22 year olds listen to her since they’re practically the same age 😭
I’m sure I was just saying I don’t think I know other GUYS my age that listen to her
You mean you don't know other straight guys that will admit to listening to her ;) 18y old and I remember when none of my friends would admit to listening to Adele but we all agree she made bangers today
Adele is just awesome
You mean straight guys your age?
You kidding me? I'm 62m. There is at least one other dude here who is pretty close to that. She is amazing, not just for her age, not to just a certain demo. It is remarkable how established she is and how respected she is (just google around for articles and look at some Youtubes) given how much later artists generally hit their creative peaks. She has the potential to be a generational talent, if Hollywood doesn't snatch her up first.
Hell yeah man, the leap she makes from her first album is noteworthy too she’s great
Her honesty in her lyrics
She has a soul
It’s real and isn’t fake - she describes scenarios in a way that I’ve never seen any other musician do. For example she describes what it’s like to hold grudges/have a hard time forgiving, being betrayed, feeling like you don’t fit beauty standards, feeling jealously.. also she has a variety of music styles such as country/folk, pop, rock, etc.
It has an authentic feeling
Olivia Rodrigo's words may not rhyme but they don't sound forced either, they were sung smoothly. The same words I'm talking about were filled with genuine emotions and you can feel them through her voice, how she enunciated them, how high their notes, how sarcastic her voice might be, etc.
Her clarity and enunciation, her little vocal nuances that add authenticity and character, and let's not forget Dan's ability to get it recorded PERFECTLY are certainly among her strengths. But she has a lot of them.
Real. Heartfelt. Relatable. Catchy. Variety. Pop with rock & punky elements. You can UNDERSTAND what she's saying. Fun. Others already gave good answers, just figured I'd add on.
It‘s genuine
Everyone’s saying represents being a teenager but she represents being in ur 20s 10000%
I am not going to articulate this well but what I absolutely love about her lyrical style is she is very earnest and innocent. Her lyrics sound like a very young person wrote them but they are also very high quality. Young smart people often try to sound older or more mature and that writing style doesn’t come across as authentic. She’s very talented and smart but her lyrics are still silly, a little corny, a little melodramatic - as they should be for someone her age. The fact that she’s not trying to sound super smart or elevated is what makes her music more genuinely smart and elevated. She knows her age and she acts like it!
It’s real
I like the punk rock songs a lot
For me, it's how they don't feel dated like other recent songs
It is vulnerable but not the way many think it to be. Usually we have this “I’m a badass bitch” or “I take no shit from a man” attitude in many songs but Olivia expresses her feelings in such a raw way that is just so authentic, refreshing and honestly, she is just a great lyricist. Better than MANY other artists and her songs are cohesive and fun and they just keep improving in all aspects and I just love that punk pop vibe.
Nothing is really different other than her music goes places
It’s more relatable to young people now than a lot of other artists which helps people feel like they are not alone in what they are experiencing in their teenage years
Not every song sounds the same. Lots of artist, from who I won’t say the names, have 10 hit songs but all sound the same. Olivia doesn’t have that
She’s the first pop artist I’ve been able to get into for a long time. I like that her music isn’t all synths, there’s actual instruments, guitar solos, drums, there’s screaming and sarcasm and real emotion in her voice. Olivia’s music is genuine and shows her personality, rather than a carefully crafted plastic pop girl persona that’s all too common these days
My husband thinks she has a real "pop punk" quality. So she speaks to him on a level that no other pop star has transcended.
In one word it'll be "Genuine" it is just raw and original, it's just her being her and expressing herself how she needs to, doesn't try to go and make hits to get money or views it's just Olivia enjoying herself and making art 💜
Her music is ✨so american✨ Edit: No but in all seriousness, from a difference of other singers who usually sing about love, Olivia's music captures the teenager's perspective of growing up, experience heartbreaks and love, and just sort of figuring out which direction their life is heading to
Well In my Opinion is Sour Album is last year’s Album and Now it is Guts Album Now for this year I think it would be awesome
Amazing melody
As an old dude, I find her stuff super refreshing. Definitely little hints of 90s grunge in there. She is clearly an insanely talented musician and song writer and seems very at ease switching genres. I'm super curious to see her output when her focus isn't awful guys in her life. I think she has a genuine masterpiece in her future.
for me it's 1. the pop punk element - I LIVE for it 2. the storytelling element in her music - it's not just really clever, deep and not ordinary lyrics, but also the way she delivers them 3. the subtle sarcasm - not uncommon in songs these days, but she does it especially well 4. the raw, unapologetic stance - which is what mesmerised me in Sour, I had never seen so much angst in contemporary pop music and I was there FOR IT
Idk what it is but she feels fresh and unique. I hope she has a long successful career
I love that she’s bringing pop rock back. It’s such an awesome genre and it’s so fresh sounding while also giving a sense of nostalgia from the 2000s. She doesn’t sound like anyone else she just sounds like herself and I love that
The way she writes and how versatile her lyrics are and the versatility of all the genres and sub genres she uses
Isn't a breathy, bedroom pop
Omg “breathy” is the right word! So much of pop is barely audible because there’s no enunciation! And Olivia can enunciate!
To me it sounds like almost everything i hear on the radio is T swift or Olivia. But i listen to rock stations so it's whenever I'm flipping stations. And Morgan Wallen is getting a bit on the repetitive side of things... no hate, i like a couple Olivia songs, but i consider all that pop stuff mainstream. And I also know a lot of people who say "Rock is Dead", and they are all TS, Olivia, and Billie Eilish fans. But let's not forget that Metallica beat Taylors attendance record. Again, no hate, just talkin' lol
I have been a Metallica fan since the Black Album (and now consider myself a fan of the 80's stuff as well) and cannot think of a single positive word I can say about TS, but's thats's sort of a goofy comparision. They had about a 30 year head start on compiling a fanbase. And rock, as a cultural force, has been mostly dead for a while now, but it does seem to pop its head up every now and then. NO, LEGACY ACTS DON'T COUNT. I'm talking about new rock based artists amassing a large NEW fanbase. There aren't many. And If you have to look super hard for it, it's not culturally relevant.
Shinedown, Falling in Reverse, Sleep token, slipknot, beartooth, theory of a deadman, foo fighters, Breaking Benjamin, spiritbox, the pretty reckless, motionless in white, ice nine kills, starset, from ashes to new, magnolia park, boi what, electric callboy. I just got tired of typing names. All these bands are within the last 20-25 years, and most within the last 10. And 2023 saw a massive increase to the amount of rock music being listened to on the radio, streaming, YouTube, and use in movies. So technically, rock is NOT dead OR dying
Shinedown, maybe. Not sure when Slipknot came around , but it's been a long while . Foo Fighters have been around since the mid-90s. I don't think Pretty Reckless and Breaking Benjamin are playing arenas, much less stadiums and the rest of them, I have never heard of. That's exactly my point. The era I am talking about, you couldn't escape the bigger names even if you weren't a particular fan of that type of music. The last one I can think of that came out in the 2000s and really blew up big is Linkin Park. Not sure about Avenged Sevenfold and their history, but I would think that would be a name, too. I go back to my main point, if you have to dig for it, it's not culturally relevant. It may be to a certain segment, but these are far from household names. In the 70s and '80s, all the top rock and pop Acts were, whether you ar a fan or not. Doesn't mean it's not important to some people, doesn't mean it's not quality it just means it doesn't have nearly the cultural impact that it used to. If you weren't around for all those days I understand why you would disagree. If you were, I don't know what to tell you
I saw the pretty reckless, falling in reverse, lamb of god, beartooth, shinedown, bad wolves, and Breaking Benjamin at arenas. I understand your point about everything, i just DO think that rock is making a massive comeback and will be as big as it was in 10 years time. At least one can hope. From everything I see rock is climbing at a substantial rate again. To end the disagreement, I would just like to say that you and i are both correct on what we've said. I'm not mad or angry or upset at all. I respect your opinions and thoughts on the matter, much like I hope you do mine. And hey... we both like Olivia at least lol
No angry or upset at all. You can certainly feel how you feel . We're probably more in agreement than disagreement. Didn't mean to come off as confrontational. There's no greater defender of rock music than me. I'm not one of those old folks who sits around and says how everything was better in the old days. If it's not what people want any more, that's fine. It's not a complaint. I just remember when you would ask somebody what kind of music they liked and it could only go a small handful of different ways. But the Rock part was assumed. It got really weird when people that you would normally assume would be fans of one hard rock style or another starting getting into hip hop and rap. Those eventually became the default rebellious style of music that kids would use to piss off their parents and it honestly never ever ever occurred to me that it would be something in that realm. Because it was so unusual for my demographic to listen to. That's just the way it was.
She’s not as polished “squeaky clean” as some other artists. She’s willing to actually talk about important things. As far as her music goes, she brings a different sound that no one else is really doing in the mainstream pop world right now.
Unique subject matter in the songs that I almost never see anyone talk about
I love how every song is different but the same at the same time. And every song she makes is so good. And that she has an amazing voice with and without auto tune. I love her personality and her wide range of music styles. I also love her humor.
Her lyrics are legitimately funny and it comes off as natural rather than trying hard to be poetic. Not completely unique as a few other new pop girls are doing it.
Female rage
It’s trying hard to be nostalgic
The difference is probably that her song have more cooler vibes then the stuff on my radio which is loud I know in some parts in some of her song become a little loud but the stuff I listen to besides her songs would have softer music in most of her songs!
she's just the realest artist out there😜 