Ahead of the May 21 release of her debut album, “Sour,” Olivia Rodrigo is already facing criticism since day one. The singer-songwriter said that she’s noticed “sexist criticism of songwriters like me being told that they only write songs about boy.”
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| Credit: Courtesy of Olivia Rodrigo | Instagram |
The fact that songs about love and relationships are bops,
criticism like this is inherently tied to gender stereotypes that spread
harmful ideologies about women’s sexuality.
Fortunately, Olivia Rodrigo is having none of it. “I
write about stuff that I feel really intensely and I feel heartbreak and
longing really intensely, and I think that’s authentic and natural,” Rodrigo
said. “I don’t really understand what people want me to write about, do you
want me to write about income taxes? How am I going to write an emotional song
about that?”
Furthermore, Rodrigo indicated that how nuanced songs
about heartbreak and romance can often be. “Something I’m really proud of is
that this record talks about emotions that are hard to talk about or aren’t
really socially acceptable, especially for girls: anger, jealousy, spite,
sadness, they’re frowned upon as b*tchy and moaning and complaining or
whatever,” the singer said. “But I think they’re such valid emotions.” With Rodrigo’s
debut album that is to be released sooner, we can’t wait to learn every song
she wrote and we will see for ourselves how beautifully they are written.