If you need a breakup song for this summer, Olivia Rodrigo is all over it! The “Good 4 U” singer dropped her first single in two years, “Vampire”, on June 30. The single comes off the announcement of Rodrigo’s sophomore album, Guts, scheduled to drop on Sept. 8. In addition, Rodrigo dropped a music video for the single the same day on YouTube, immediately racking up millions of views. Naturally, Rodrigo’s fans, nicknamed ‘Livies’, are more than excited to see Rodrigo return with new music.
Rodrigo blew up on the music scene in Jan. 2021, when her debut single, “Drivers License” quickly became a number one single in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, in addition to a handful of other countries. Her debut album Sour saw similar success, debuting at number one in 18 countries, including number one on the U.S. Billboard 200. Fellow musicians from Taylor Swift to Billie Eilish were singing Rodrigo’s praises. They weren’t the only ones; At the 2022 Grammy Awards, Rodrigo walked away with 2 awards, including Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Album. Only time will tell if she does the same again with “Vampire” and Guts.
Now that she’s back on the music scene, Livies are worshiping the singer and getting ready for her new album in September. Similar to how ‘Drivers License’ blew up on TikTok, ‘Vampire’ is getting the same treatment thanks to her fans. Here are some of our favorite reactions to the new song.
Similar to Rodrigo’s debut single, “Vampire” is allegedly about another celebrity breakup of hers, this time with DJ Zach Bia. Whether or not she based the song on her past relationship, fans are already preparing for this to be their go-to breakup song. Though, let’s hope TikTok user @crackmuppet isn’t destined for a breakup when Guts comes out.
Petition for Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness star Xochitl Gomez to be in an Olivia Rodrigo music video! Recreating Rodrigo’s look from the “Vampire” music video, Gomez is getting into the emotion of the new song in her latest TikTok. Considering Gomez also participated in the viral trend involving Lizzy McAlpine’s song “Ceilings”, it’s no surprise she knows how to be dramatic while running in a dress.
Age gaps in celebrity relationships are nothing new. But fans of Rodrigo are arguing that when looking closer at the lyrics for “Vampire”, the song tells a sadly common tale about her past relationship with Bia. Rodrigo has yet to confirm the subject of the song, but as the above TikTok shows, fans are already connecting dots from specific lyrics to moments between the couple. Some are even claiming “Vampire” is Rodrigo’s “Dear John”, the song made famous by Taylor Swift which supposedly detailed her relationship with John Mayer. This claim is ironic, considering Swift has the re-release of her album Speak Now coming out just a week after “Vampire,” on which “Dear John” is featured.
The word vampire will never be the same. Just like any new music from an artist, it may take a moment or two to get used to the new style of their music. But it seems fans are getting into the song with no trouble. As of July 3, the music video has over 18 million videos on YouTube, and the song has over 28 million listens on Spotify. Edward Cullen, eat your heart out.
The fans are the real winners
Anytime an artist comes back after being away for some time, fans win. As Rodrigo revs up excitement for her new album, fans are sure to get more singles and music videos, a tour announcement, and plenty of new interviews to overanalyze. Maybe if they’re lucky, they’ll even get to see Rodrigo grace the Grammys stage in 2024, picking up gold for Guts. But for now, we can at least enjoy “Vampire” and count down the days until Sept. 8.
