Two years following Olivia Rodrigo’s first album “SOUR,” the sister album, “GUTS” will release later this year. Whereas “SOUR” explained juvenile love and angst, “GUTS” details the inner workings of the pop star’s mind as she discovers her identity, accompanied by the confusion and change that comes with growing up. In light of Rodrigo’s past successes, “GUTS” primarily encapsulates aging in a different light. “SOUR” explains navigating teenage years, yet “GUTS” displays Rodrigo growing into her twenties. Fans believe the new album will also detail Rodrigo’s experiences in recent relationships with people such as Adam Faze and Zack Bia. “I think this album will be a lot more mature than “SOUR.” “SOUR” was all girly, but maybe this one will be [more mature]. I think that it is going to be a lot like her song “Brutal” off of “SOUR.” Maybe about relationships and breakups. And a lot more ‘talking’ songs,” magnet junior Sophia Valdez said.
The young adult pop star impacted teenagers worldwide with her rising popularity. Rodrigo first broke out in fame with her debut film “An American Girl: Grace Stirs Up Success,” yet her reputation was popularized in Disney Channel’s “Bizaardvark.”. Following her time on the show, Rodrigo immediately began filming “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” (HSMTMTS). During her performance in HSMTMTS, Rodrigo sparked a romance with Joshua Bassett—her co-star and love interest in the television show—though she never confirmed it to the public.
Rodrigo and Bassett’s speculated relationship reportedly ended briefly in 2020, which inspired the singer-songwriter to release her first single, “Drivers License.” The four-minute song details Rodrigo obtaining her driver’s license, referencing a recent heartbreak with an unnamed significant other. Following the single, Rodrigo released her first album, “SOUR,” May 10, 2021, an album about teenage heartbreak and young naivety. Rodrigo’s music career soared following this release, with “SOUR” debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 and four singles hitting the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100. Clearly seen from her debut album alone, teenagers— Rodrigo’s main audience— adore her and the upbeat, pop, relatable songs she performs.
“Her music revolved around this teenage relationship situation, so I found it relatable to listen to. Also, it’s really meaningful, and her ability to change up the emotion, feeling and genre of the music while keeping it around the same topic of heartbreak is good. It doesn’t matter what mood you’re in, most of her songs you can find the mood for,” magnet junior Brandon Nguyen-Weissbach said.
Rodrigo’s audience received a taste of the upcoming album with her released singles “vampire” and “bad idea right?”. When Rodrigo released these this past summer, “vampire” hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 July 15, surpassing experienced artists such as Taylor Swift, Luke Combs and Morgan Wallen. Fans obsessed over the music video for “bad idea right?” that Rodrigo released August 10, and it received over eight million views.
Rodrigo teased her fans about the “GUTS” album in May when she posted about the second anniversary of “SOUR” and announced new music close to its finish. Afterward, Rodrigo announced “Vampire” as a single, followed by a social media post thirteen days later announcing the full album. Rodrigo’s numerous Instagram reels left fans waiting in anticipation for the new album, as she released the titles of each song in a clever Instagram reel. The reel featured short clips of Rodrigo rearranging her room, and fans did not notice the titles lying about until the following post displayed each prop with a song name on it. Each promotion for the album features a purple theme, similar to the “SOUR” album, however, Rodrigo also included different colors such as red and white to showcase the differences between her sophomore album from the first.
Fans everywhere wait expectantly for September 8, when “GUTS” will be released in its entirety. When the album officially drops, her new songs will satisfy the theories and expectations of Rodrigo’s invested audience.
