Sour

Olivia Rodrigo On The Beyonce Grammys Performance That Inspired Her: ‘I Remember Watching It like 25 Times’

by
Olivia Rodrigo Sour Film Red Carpet
Getty Image

Olivia Rodrigo is nominated for a whopping seven (!) Grammys at this year’s ceremony, but it’s one of her favorite memories of a performance over ten years ago that’s top of mind right now. In an interview with People, Rodrigo remembered watching Beyonce’s rather iconic 2010 performance of “If I Were A Boy” — which, by the way, also interpolates Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know” in a brief moment of genius — and being pretty inspired by the moment.

“There’s this video of Beyoncé doing ‘If I Were a Boy’ at the Grammys, and I remember watching it like 25 times, being so enamored with her,” she said. “It’s so crazy that, maybe one day, a younger girl’s going to watch my performance many times and think that it’s cool. That’s the dream. That’s all I want.” Olivia is slated to perform at this year’s event, so it’s very likely that exact scenario will occur this Sunday.

In the lead up to the Grammys this year Olivia has been anything but slowing down. She recently released her Sour film documentary, Driving Home 2 U, and is also apparently practicing for her upcoming tour behind the hit album by singing while running on a treadmill. That’s probably harder than touring itself, right? I mean, I can barely get myself to keep going on the treadmill with normal breathing… but I guess that’s how you get into the kind of shape Beyonce is in.

Olivia Rodrigo Puts A New Spin On ‘Deja Vu’ Before Accepting The ‘Billboard’ Woman Of The Year Award

by
Olivia Rodrigo Billboard Women In Music 2022
Getty Image

Last night, Billboard hosted its annual Women In Music event and Olivia Rodrigo was the evening’s big winner. In addition to taking home the Woman Of The Year award, she opened the show by performing “Deja Vu.”

Rodrigo took a different approach to this rendition than she did the studio version we’re familiar with, as this one has more of the rock influence seen on some of her other songs, most notably “Good 4 U.” The performance began with Rodrigo singing over acoustic guitar. As the song worked its way to the chorus, other members of her backing back worked their way into the fold for a more guitar-driven rendition.

Later, she accepted the Woman Of The Year award and gave a speech in which she showed her appreciation for the women in music who came before her, as well as her contemporaries and up-and-comers trying to find their way:

“It’s not always easy being a young woman in the music industry, but I found so much strength from the female songwriters and artists who have come before me and paved the way and opened doors for so many young women like me. And that’s what so amazing about this event. Every woman here today is working to break down those barriers and change the narrative and support each other, and I am so inspired by all the incredible women in this room. I want to thank you all for your support; I am supporting all of you.

I want to say to all of the young girls out there who are writing songs every day in their journals, on their bedroom floors: I am constantly moved by your vulnerability and your creativity and bravery, and I promise everyone here today is working to make this world and this industry a better place for you.”

Watch a clip of Rodrigo performing “Deja Vu” above (find the full performance here) and check out her acceptance speech below.

Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Sour’ Is Now Spotify’s Most-Streamed Album Of 2021

by
Getty Image

Between “Drivers License” and her official debut album, Sour, Olivia Rodrigo has seen a large amount of success in 2021. The young singer earned the respect of her newfound music industry peers like Taylor Swift, Kelly Clarkson, and Cardi B, but that’s not all. The singer also became extremely beloved by her fans and her latest accolade is proof of that.

A little over a month after releasing Sour, Rodrigo’s debut officially become Spotify’s most-streamed album of 2021 according to Pop Crave. The project posted 2.69 billion streams on the streaming platform, surpassing Justin Bieber’s Justice for the top spot this year to date.

The achievement comes after Sour spent its second nonconsecutive week atop the Billboard albums chart last week. After posting a total of 105,000 units sold, Rodrigo’s debut joined Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album as the only projects in 2021 to sell more than 100,000 units in each of its first five weeks on the Billboard 200.

On a more recent note, Sour becoming 2021’s most-streamed album on Spotify comes days after the singer released her Sour Prom concert film. The artsy visual captured the singer preparing for an elegant prom night with friends as records from Sour, which includes “Deja Vu” and “Good 4 U,” play at different points in the film.

You can revisit our review of Sour here. Sour is out now via Geffen. Get it here.

Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Sour’ Returns To No. 1 On The ‘Billboard’ Albums Chart

by
Getty Image

There are many arguments to be had about which artist is having the best year so far. One possibility is Olivia Rodrigo. The pop star earned her breakout moment at the beginning of the year thanks to her debut single, “Drivers License,” which smashed Spotify records and spent ample time atop the Billboard album charts. Her success continued with the release of additional singles, such as “Good 4 U” and “Deja Vu,” as well as the arrival of her debut album, Sour, which debuted at No. 1. Now, a little over a month after it dropped, it’s back at the top.

In the last week, Sour tallied a total of 105,000 album units. As a result, it joins Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album as the only full-length efforts in 2021 to sell more than 100,000 units in each of its first five weeks on the chart. Sour made its debut last month on the Billboard 200 with 295,000 albums units sold. That number was comprised of 218,000 streaming equivalent album units that came from 300.73 million on-demand streams of the album’s songs. It made for the largest overall week for an album in 2021 and the second-largest streaming week ever by a female artist behind Ariana Grande’s 2018 album Thank U, Next.

Revisit our review of Sour here.