olivia rodrigo sets a record

There are a lot of familiar things in this that call to mind everything from the aforementioned influences to Florence + the Machine to Mumford & Sons. I'll have to ask my kids what they think, because I am sure they have opinions.

“driver’s license” is fine, but the important thing is that it’s five million times better than gen z’s other favorite ballad “without you” by the kid laroi

Xxpost: that’s the chart for most streamed artists, not most streamed singles. I don’t think Olivia Rodrigo will be or even is right now in the top 10 streamed artists of 2021 despite being a #1 streamed song.

I don’t know if there’s a chart of most streamed songs of 2020 but I’d bet Dua Lipa, Doja Cat, Tones & I, Megan & Cardi and maybe the Lady Gaga & Ariana collab are in there

I mean for comparison: the Olivia Rodrigo song is near 100M streams right now which is very impressive considering the amount of time but “Dance Monkey” has 2B streams and even with that massive amount of streams you don’t see Tones & I on the top 10 most streamed artists.

I’m not saying “Driver’s License” doesn’t have a chance to get to 2B streams, I’m saying is not enough to be a top 10 most streamed artist of the year.

https://newsroom.spotify.com/2020-12-01/the-trends-that-shaped-streaming-in-2020/

top 5 songs on spotify last year:
“Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd
“Dance Monkey” by Tones And I
“The Box” by Roddy Ricch
“Roses – Imanbek Remix” by Imanbek and SAINt JHN
“Don’t Start Now” by Dua Lipa

top 5 artists on spotify last year:
Bad Bunny
Drake
J Balvin
Juice WRLD
The Weeknd

across all platforms including video, the top 10 streaming songs last year were (via nielsen):

1. Roddy Ricch, “The Box” (1.32 billion)
2. Future featuring Drake, “Life Is Good” (1.035 billion)
3. DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch, “Rockstar” (863.95 million)
4. The Weeknd, “Blinding Lights” (821.12 million)
5. Jack Harlow, “Whats Poppin” (788.74 million)
6. Cardi B featuring Megan Thee Stallion, “WAP” (732.7 million)
7. Megan Thee Stallion, “Savage” (612.03 million)
8. Lil Mosey, “Blueberry Faygo” (593.01 million)
9. Tones and I, “Dance Monkey” (570.48 million)
10. Doja Cat, “Say So” (562.38 million)

for comparison to more traditional metrics, here's the top 10 radio and digital download titles via the same source

airplay:
1. The Weeknd, “Blinding Lights” (3.81 billion)
2. Post Malone, “Circles” (3.51 billion)
3. Dua Lipa, “Don’t Start Now” (3.14 billion)
4. Harry Styles, “Adore You” (3.07 billion)
5. Maren Morris, “The Bones” (2.46 Billion)
6. Maroon 5, “Memories” (2.45 billion)
7. Gabby Barrett, “I Hope” (2.40 billion)
8. Lewis Capaldi, “Someone You Loved” (2.28 billion)
9. Lewis Capaldi, “Before You Go” (2.07 billion)
10. Doja Cat, “Say So” (2.02 billion)

downloads:
1. BTS, “Dynamite” (1.26 million)
2. The Weeknd, “Blinding Lights” (580,000)
3. Gabby Barrett, “I Hope” (351,000)
4. Tones and I, “Dance Monkey” (339,000)
5. Megan Thee Stallion, “Savage” (336,000)
6. Cardi B featuring Megan Thee Stallion, “WAP” (300,000)
7. Jawsh 685 x Jason Derulo, “Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat)” (299,000)
8. Blake Shelton Duet With Gwen Stefani, “Nobody But You” (288,000)
9. Post Malone, “Circles” (281,000)
10. Maroon 5, “Memories” (264,000)

so yeah the top songs are overall still quite male-dominated but not to quite the extent that the top artists lists tend to be

(those are us-only stats, not worldwide)

https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/9512983/olivia-rodrigo-drivers-license-number-one-hot-100-debut/

Many opinions from tsj https://www.thesinglesjukebox.com/?p=29752

― abcfsk, Friday, January 15, 2021 10:35 AM (four days ago) bookmarkflaglink

i don't recognize any of the writers except Katherine which shows how long it's been since i read TSJ lol sorry contributors who are reading this post

I think Alfred was another, no?

yep!

We had a successful recruitment drive in December.

finally listened to this song, streaming numbers v impressive and beguiling for such a boring song

So now there’s like, an answer song? (I don’t know who any of these ppl are): https://variety.com/2021/music/news/sabrina-carpenter-drivers-license-olivia-rodrigo-skin-1234889998/

Big feelings and nowhere to go: how Gen Z reinvented the power ballad

Olivia Rodrigo’s global hit Drivers License is the epitome of new-school pop songwriting, where sexuality is complex, emotions are specific and bombast is traded for intimacy

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/feb/19/olivia-rodrigo-drivers-license-gen-z-reinvented-the-power-ballad

The sequel is out:

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2021-04-01/olivia-rodrigo-new-single-deja-vu

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cii6ruuycQA

I like it, but the vocal similarity to Lorde is more distracting on this one... also not feeling the distorted beat so much.

i actually like it better than "drivers license," which i never really warmed to

'i hate to think that i was just your type' is a good line

it's like a polished, major label version of like, 00s indie pop, which at least feels a little distinctive but fitting in with broader trends. i like it more than "driver's license" for sure

she's clearly going to continue to be huge

I still don’t get it and I find her very un-charismatic. I’ve seen her a dozen times already and I can’t remember her face once the music video is over.

The beat gives me 2000s Dave Fridmann feels.

(Wasn’t Billy Joel referenced in another Zoomer anthem recently? Is he having a moment?)

https://pitchfork.com/news/olivia-rodrigo-details-debut-album-sour/

I liked the placeholder title (*O*R) and artwork a lot better:

https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/c2448614-0667-485d-b116-49a3187d7dcf.2e50766d10ee999d1be0fbc156e0f069.jpeg?odnWidth=612&odnHeight=612&odnBg=ffffff

that's channel purple

i don't really know where else to post this, but my daughter is into American Idol and so i watch it with her (and enjoy it! not trying to pretend otherwise) and i was just gobsmacked at the number of 15-year-olds who walked in and auditioned this season by playing a *good* song they wrote and performing it flawlessly, often on piano but sometimes on guitar. there are a whole army of Olivia Rodrigos on the way, i think.

good! bring 'em on

"(Wasn’t Billy Joel referenced in another Zoomer anthem recently? Is he having a moment?)"

oh maybe, I seem to regularly see him referenced on twitter by people younger than me without the derisiveness he justly deserves, so that would explain that.

this alternate (Target) artwork is godawful!

https://target.scene7.com/is/image/Target/GUEST_c4984bd5-b5ac-4c4a-afbe-b8c0ce840257?fmt=pjpeg&wid=700&qlt=80

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgOl2bdevqM

this one's pretty good, hope she can keep things up for the album. my only complaint is the last chorus needed to be a bit longer!

I think it’s awesome, best one yet!

She’s on SNL this weekend.

I had not heard Drivers License until this week and goddamn that is a teenage anthem.

she needs to cover new ground lyrically lol

for the sake of balance i'll say i like "deja vu" more w/ each listen

It’s funny/cute how each song strategically has one (1) swear word.

The chorus of this new song hits some 1995 sweet spot for me, man…

(and the bridge into washed-out verse, before it all comes crashing in again, is a great move)

I mean when you say "1995 sweet spot" do you mean something more diffuse or do you specifically mean this is like "You Oughtta Know," which it is, and Rodrigo directly says she wants the album to be like Jagged Little Pill

I wasn’t thinking about album specifically (but I like this better than that!)

The melody does remind me of something specific from around that time, but I can’t put my finger on it…

I like almost nothing better than "You Oughta Know," I put it on after listening to "Good 4 You" and goosebumps all the way down my spine just like in 1995, jesus

Has anyone heard any other stuff by this dude Dan Nigro – the indie rocker turned popsmith who’s co-writing and producing these tunes?

much prefer "good 4 u" and its Juliana Hatfield moves to anything else she's released but I wish this style of vocal affectation would disappear

yes ilxors have heard dan nigro's songs w/ sky ferreira two of which placed in our year-end polls iirc xp

plus another year-end finisher w/ caroline polachek "so hot you're hurting my feelings" (v good)

personally have also heard the conan gray singles (not good)

Gotcha, thx (xxp – Juliana Hatfield is a good reference point, btw)

She sounded good on SNL! Yeah, she can sing.

The band was a little lackluster… I guess Dan Nigro was the scrubby guy she hugged at the end (judging by this pic of him).

Nigro says since working with Grey, his inbox is filled daily with new artists' pitches -- but Olivia Rodrigo immediately captured his attention. He quickly went on her Instagram and found a clip of a song called “Happier,” saying, “I just got the chills and I was like, ‘Oh my God, her voice is insane.’ I literally DM’d her that second and was like, ‘Hey, I think you're amazing. We should make music.’”

I don't see that as creepy. She was applying for a job that he accepted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiaCdUACJp8

sounds like "Misery Business" to me

I don't hear it

he said he saw a dad with a ‘Dad Idea, Right?’ shirt on.

Levelled-up Dad, right there.

What in God’s name do you people hear in this generic shitmusic? Just the blandest pop music I’ve heard in quite some time with high school poetry lyrics. Granted I’ve only heard the “You’re a… dreamcrusher” one and “Get Him Back”, but still. WORST CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED ARTIST EVER OF THE DECADE EVER.

Those capital letters are cute

Go Girl!

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/olivia-rodrigo-hands-out-condoms-morning-after-pills-guts-tour-1235851618/

In a social media post, a fan who attended the St. Louis tour stop shared a photo of two emergency contraceptive pill boxes. On top of them was a purple, square sticker that read, “Funding abortions? It’s a good idea, right?” seemingly a reference to Rodrigo’s song, “bad idea right?”

In addition to providing contraceptives at her shows, the singer-songwriter also has National Network of Abortion Funds tables set up at each tour location.

...or not.

https://variety.com/2024/music/news/olivia-rodrigo-abortion-funds-not-allowed-distribute-plan-b-condom-1235943079/

Organizers tell Variety that after widespread media attention, local abortion funds were told Thursday afternoon that they were no longer allowed to hand out free emergency birth control pills and other reproductive health resources at the concerts.

According to three sources at local abortion funds, that decision came from Rodrigo’s team and was relayed over Slack by the National Network of Abortion Funds, which partnered with the pop star to set up booths at each of her North American tour stops. Jade Hurley, the communications manager for the DC Abortion Fund, says the NNAF said Rodrigo’s team preferred they no longer pass out lubrication, condoms and Plan B because “children are present at the concerts.”

“The reality is that youth have sex, and youth need access to birth control and emergency contraception,” Hurley tells Variety over the phone. “What we’re doing is completely legal in all 50 states.”

A representative for Rodrigo did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment.

Robert Smith joins her on stage at Glastonbury for ‘Friday I’m in Love’!

Saw the replays of the performances with Robert Smith. She is really delightful and has such a great live voice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDTlUtrzeFI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ePiW95yGKE

https://www.nme.com/news/music/olivia-rodrigo-had-a-great-glastonbury-doing-shots-with-robert-smith-and-raving-to-pulp-3875456

https://www.instagram.com/p/DLiGSKmtRa7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

This is the one with shots and a Cure shirt:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLa5nRjC-Sv/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Or maybe not, it's in the NME link.

Wow, Robert's voice sounds great. I don't know why I was expecting less, but he sounds strong and clear and terrific.

You should listen to the new album if you haven't, he's very much still got it! (Recent tours also confirm this.)

her cover of Book of Love (with Graham Coxon on guitar!) is making me tear up at work, doesn't do anything particularly noteworthy with it but it's just really really well done

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2e-0IEXV8Cc

New album out June 12:
https://people.com/olivia-rodrigo-announces-new-album-you-seem-pretty-sad-for-a-girl-so-in-love-11941425

you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love. disco, occasionally

i like it when you sleep for you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love

anyway great title imo, stoked

the sad girl is wiser than the girl so in love

lol ivy that’s a good one, tbh i feel like both parties would feel flattered

why must i seem a sad girl so in love