Olivia Rodrigo Opens Up About ‘GUTS’ Pressure & Finding Joy on ‘Sad’ New Album at Grammy Museum
Categoria: Musica
”I try not to be precious. Perfectionism doesn't serve you when you're writing songs,” the singer/songwriter says Tuesday night.
Por Billboard | 02/09/2026
Olivia Rodrigo has been quite the busy honeybee lately. Fresh off the buzz of her inaugural Daisy Chain Fields festival, the pop star headed to the Grammy Museum on Tuesday night (Sept. 1) for a conversation with filmmaker Cameron Crowe celebrating Olivia Rodrigo: “the cure” Unraveled , a new exhibit inspired by the tactile, handmade universe of her “the cure” music video. Related Will Grammy Museum’s Olivia Rodrigo Exhibit Boost Her Grammy Chances? ‘The Cure Uraveled’ to Open With Cameron Crowe-Hosted Q&A Wisin Launches 'Universidad del Perreo' & Signs New Management: 'The Music Speaks' Ye Announces a Trio of New U.S. Stadium Shows Rodrigo spoke about the process behind the song and its music video’s cinematic details, but she also didn’t hesitate to dive right in to the behind-the-scenes process of her other songs and previous albums as well. Specifically, she touched on the pressure she dealt with surrounding her sophomore studio album GUTS , and why she learned to embrace joy — and imperfection — in her songwriting on You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love . Rodrigo’s first two albums set a high bar for the singer/songwriter, with both 2021’s SOUR and 2023’s GUTS debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 . Her latest LP, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love , continued that streak, becoming her third consecutive chart-topper when it debuted atop the tally in June. But while reflecting on the making of GUTS , Rodrigo admitted that following the massive success of her debut came with its share of challenges. “My second record, there was so much pressure,” she told Crowe. “There was so much anxiety, there were voices in my head.” The experience stood in contrast to making You Seem Pretty Sad , which Rodrigo said allowed her to reconnect with the joy that first drew her to songwriting. “I just had so much fun making this record,” she said. “Music is so joyful for me. It is, like, my favorite thing in the world.” Rodrigo said she hoped that newfound sense of freedom would shine in the finished product, adding, “I hope that joy and passion is palpable in the recordings because I just had a ball making them.” That joy, however, didn’t mean Rodrigo abandoned the emotional complexity that has become a hallmark of her songwriting. The 23-year-old explained that she initially challenged herself to write more positive love songs for the album, only to discover that the songs she found most moving usually contained a bit of sadness. “I think that’s why it’s called You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love ,” she said. “Over the course of trying to write these love songs, I very quickly realized that what made my favorite love songs so moving is that there was a bit of melancholy in them, or there was a bit of fragility or something broken in the love song.” Rodrigo also gave some advice for songwriters who are struggling to pinpoint and write down every single idea: Write through the bad ones.