Former Disney star Olivia Rodrigo has once again become a hot topic of discussion with the release of her second album, Guts, on September 8th. Rodrigo launched to fame with the release of her debut album, Sour, at 17 years old. Now 20, Rodrigo explores the transition away from her teenage years in her new songs.
Following the success Sour had when it was released, Rodrigo had a lot of pressure to create an album that can compare with her debut. Guts definitely is that album. It is only 39 minutes long, with 12 songs. However, those 39 minutes are a rollercoaster of emotions. The production has a lot of variety. From upbeat, punk rock inspired songs to emotionally powerful ballads.
Fans were given a hint of what the album would sound like when Rodrigo dropped her singles, Vampire and Bad Idea Right?. Vampire has extremely emotional and honest lyrics about how someone she loved manipulated her and how she regrets letting the person hurt her. Bad Idea Right? is a very upbeat song about going back to her ex even though she knows he’s bad for her. Both songs had fans very excited about the release of Guts a couple months later.
Rodrigo writes about many different experiences she went through at the end of her teenage years in her songs. Making the Bed seems to be about her insecurities surrounding her quick rise to fame. Pretty Isn’t Pretty and All-American Bitch talk about the frustration of being a girl in society today. Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl, and Teenage Dream talk about insecurities surrounding growing up. Logical, Love is Embarrassing, and The Grudge are about heartbreak.
Despite the general love for the album, there is still some controversy surrounding it. Many fans have noticed that the song, All American Bitch sounds very similar to Miley Cyrus’ 2007 song, Start All Over. This isn’t the first time Rodrigo has been accused of plagiarism. After Sour’s debut, Rodrigo gave writing credits to the band Paramore after fans on TikTok noticed the similarities in the chorus of Rodrigo’s single Good 4 U and Paramore’s Misery Business. She also gave Taylor Swift writing credits in the song Deja Vu, which sounds similar to Swift’s Cruel Summer.
The copyright controversy has left fans divided. Some claim that she doesn’t write any original songs so she’s not a good songwriter. Others claim that there’s only a select amount of chords artists can create so songs are bound to sound similar and that what she does isn’t plagiarism but interpolation, something many talented artists do.
Even with some controversy surrounding it, Rodrigo has once again produced a chart topping album. On September 12, Rodrigo announced her Guts World Tour which is expected to be very difficult to get tickets to. She also performed at the VMAS, singing her new songs Vampire and Get Him Back.
