In an interview on The New York Times' "Pop Cast" program to promote her upcoming 3rd studio album "You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love", Olivia Rodrigo answered questions about the pressure from media scrutiny.
Olivia Rodrigo spoke out to deny rumors from public opinion about the supposedly tense relationship between her and Taylor Swift. Olivia Rodrigo expressed that following hypotheses from the online community about her private life or personal relationships only puts pressure on herself, while time does not allow it.
Besides, the singer born in 2003 also frankly admitted to having gone through a difficult period after having to add Taylor Swift and other artists to the co-writing list in some songs from her debut album.
Typically, in March, when Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift were seen leaving Paul McCartney's concert in Los Angeles (USA) at the same time, sparking a series of public theories.
Olivia Rodrigo said she is not too concerned about those things because this is an inevitable part of the entertainment industry. The female singer agreed with the opinion of host Joe Coscarelli that she has formed a self-balancing mechanism against baseless rumors since her debut single "Drivers License" exploded on social media platforms.
The "Vampire" singer emphasized that learning to disconnect and separate yourself from the noise is the only way to protect personal space from different perspectives from the public.
When asked directly about rumors of a rift with senior Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo shared that she always tries to maintain a neutral attitude towards negative information. The female singer believes that remorse for long-standing disputes is unnecessary, instead, she only focuses on composing songs she loves, maintaining kindness and supporting colleagues in the industry.
In the past, Olivia Rodrigo has repeatedly affirmed that Taylor Swift is one of her biggest inspirations. Taylor Swift once publicly supported her junior in the stage of preparing to release the album "Sour". In the song "1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back", Olivia Rodrigo used a sample piece from Taylor Swift's song "New Year's Day" (2017), and also acknowledged Taylor Swift and producer Jack Antonoff as co-composers.
However, legal disputes arose when Olivia Rodrigo continued to have to add Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff to the copyright list of the single "Deja Vu" due to structural similarities with Taylor Swift's song "Cruel Summer" (2019).
Artist Annie Clark (stage name St. Vincent) was also added to this list. Later, two members Hayley Williams and Josh Farro of the group Paramore were also awarded the copyright for the hit "Good 4 U" for the same reason as the song "Misery Business".
Sharing with Rolling Stone magazine in 2023, Olivia Rodrigo admitted that she was surprised by these intellectual property rights troubles because she did not have experience at that time, and explained that this was a matter of commercial arrangement between management parties. Looking back at the above incident, the female singer confided that it was a truly difficult period for her personally, but affirmed that no pressure could take away her passion for art.
Previously, Olivia Rodrigo also denied all rumors of hostility with Taylor Swift on Rolling Stone magazine, affirming that she lived very privately, had no conflicts with anyone and only frequently interacted with her mother and 4 closest friends. Olivia Rodrigo also declined to confirm whether the single "Vampire" (2023) was a hidden product criticizing Taylor Swift or not, expressing her view that she never wanted to frame the meaning of her song to a specific object.
