Everyone's favorite pop princess is back! Following a record-breaking tour, the “GUTS” campaign ended only a few months ago. And after exciting announcements and appearances, Rodrigo is slowly swaying away from her teen-esque pop vibe and into more complex/mature pieces of work (still including the occasional fun pop song we all love). This marks the beginning of a new era in Rodrigo's career, “OR3.”
Since the end of the “GUTS” tour, fans have been digging for hidden Easter eggs in Instagram posts and TikToks, in hopes of finding clues for possible new music and/or an album release. It wasn't until the beginning of April, when the 23-year-old Rodrigo, who dominated the music industry in the early 2020s, began hinting at a new album, informally referred to as “OR3.”
In a strategic marketing move, Rodrigo debuted a mural wall in LA, which initially featured a light purple shade reminiscent of the “GUTS” era. Over the course of several days, the wall gradually transformed into a light pink color, hinting at the beginning of the “OR3” era, until it eventually became a tribute to Rodrigo's new signature color, “OR3 Pink.”
A few hours before the April 2 announcement of Rodrigo’s new album, “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love,” to be released June 12, the title was finally painted onto the mural.
The transition from “GUTS” to “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love” was not solely a color change as a signature purple shaded into a pretty pink, but an overall aesthetic change for Rodrigo. Rodrigo mentioned in an interview with Jimmy Fallon that she wanted to focus on “romantic love in more of a positive sense,” while also “injecting them with a bit of sadness and longing,” following albums from her late teen years about a feeling of a consuming rage and heartbreak. It seems as if she is trying to sophisticate her writing as she grows, and focus on more complicated feelings.
There has been quite a bit of speculation about why Rodrigo chose to go in a different direction with her album title for OR3. Breaking from the four-letter pattern of her previous albums, the bold sentence-long title hints at a break from her previous pop-centric musical conventions, developing and maturing her persona as an artist.
This shift in her artistry becomes even more apparent when considering the context surrounding the album. Following Olivia Rodrigo’s two-year-long relationship with actor Louis Partridge, fans anticipated a romantic album from Rodrigo—until breakup rumors flooded the internet. Although neither Rodrigo nor Partridge has verified these rumours, in an interview with British Vogue, Rodrigo suggested she prefers to let her music speak for itself, describing her upcoming work as “sad love songs.” She added that she “realised all [her] favourite romantic love songs were beautiful because they had a tinge of fear or yearning in them.”
Among Rodrigo’s huge fan base are quite a few Latin students,including sophomore Ella Wissink. “I think that ‘you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love’ is really gonna sum up her last relationship with Louis Partridge,” Ella said. “I also feel like she's matured so much as an artist since her previous album, ‘GUTS,’ so I am so excited to hear not only her vocal progression—although I don’t know how [she] could do any better—but also her lyrics as well.”
Ella added, “As a teenage girl, I just feel like her lyrics are very relatable, and I always [anticipate] new music from her.”
Although many fans adore the change in title patterns and overall aesthetic from Rodrigo, this evolution in her album structure has elicited mixed reactions.
Another fan, sophomore Savanna Lane, said, “I don't dislike the album cover she chose, but there is an alternate cover from the album photoshoot that I love so much and would have preferred for the main cover.”
Rodrigo is a master in the field of promotion and Easter eggs. Following the exciting countdown to her album release, fans recently spotted lockets painted in Rodrigo's new signature shade of pink in various locations around the world. After teasing fans for days with hints of a date written on the lockets, she finally announced the release date of her lead single titled “drop dead.”
Following a short melody tease via Rodrigo’s Instagram, "drop dead" was released on April 17. After hearing only the first few beats of the song, I already knew it was going to be the song of the year, but the full version exceeded expectations. Although I was expecting a sad love song, this one was more upbeat, with a pop-love-song vibe. It created a dreamy, lustful sound that felt as if it captured the feeling of being overwhelmed by love at first sight, both terrifying and thrilling.
Rodrigo's music video, which was filmed at Versailles, premiered alongside the song. Rodrigo was granted a privilege that only a very small number of artists receive, running and dancing through the halls of Versailles, lip-syncing to “drop dead.” Directed by Petra Collins, Rodrigo's video drew visual inspiration from the 2006 film “Marie Antoinette,” combined with a vintage Hollywood film vibe.
Senior Sam Micheli said, “I am obsessed with Olivia's new song. I think the lyrics are incredible, and I have been constantly playing it on repeat ever since it was released.”
Adding to the excitement, Rodrigo appeared on “Saturday Night Live” on May 2, where she both hosted and performed, debuting a new song supposedly titled “begged.” While her single "drop dead" is more of an upbeat love song, “begged” is more of a yearning ballad, giving fans a taste of the range in her upcoming album.
Sophomore Ella Joseph, who tuned in for the Rodrigo-hosted episode of SNL, thinks the new song “begged” is “a very emotional piece from Olivia, the first one us fans have seen for her new album. I think it is a good transition from her recent single ‘drop dead,’ and it gives the fans an equal balance of hearing her more emotional music and an upbeat love song.”
As fans anticipate sad love songs and TV appearances from Rodrigo, “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love” will surely not disappoint. We are witnessing a defining moment in Rodrigo’s career, watching her sway away from her usual themes and become a more well-rounded artist by diversifying her discography. Observing Rodrigo's music slowly transition from teenage-girl-targeted pop songs and heartbreak to a more complex emotion—feeling “pretty sad for a girl so in love”—is a change that the pop music industry is anxiously awaiting.
