The release of Olivia Rodrigo’s latest single, “Vampire,” from her upcoming sophomore album “Guts,” set for September 8, has prompted fans to speculate about its connection to Taylor Swift. In an interview with The Guardian, Rodrigo addressed these speculations but remained tight-lipped about the song’s subject.
When questioned about the potential link between “Vampire” and her friendship with Taylor Swift, Rodrigo replied, “How do I answer this? I mean, I never want to say who any of my songs are about. I’ve never done that before in my career and probably won’t. I think it’s better to not pigeonhole a song to being about this one thing…I was very surprised when people thought that.”
Olivia Rodrigo, the 20-year-old former Disney+ star of “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” rose to prominence in January 2021 with her chart-topping hit “Driver’s License.” Her debut album, “Sour,” released later that year, received both commercial and critical acclaim, earning her the Best New Artist award at the 2022 Grammys.
Rodrigo has previously expressed her admiration for Taylor Swift, considering her a music idol and a significant influence on her songwriting. Their mutual appreciation was evident in their friendly exchanges on social media, with Swift praising Rodrigo’s “Driver’s License.” Rodrigo even mentioned that Swift wrote to her during her rise to fame, emphasizing the importance of kindness in the world.
However, despite a brief encounter at the Brit Awards in May 2021, fans noticed a decline in interactions between Rodrigo and Swift. Speculation arose that their friendship might have soured, especially as Rodrigo added Swift as a co-writer, along with Jack Antonoff and St. Vincent, to her song “Deja Vu.” This move fueled theories about potential disagreements over songwriting royalties.
Some fans believe that the lyrics of “Vampire,” with lines like “bleeding me dry like a goddamn vampire,” hint at financial concerns, possibly referring to songwriting royalties.
While Rodrigo has expanded the list of songwriters on her tracks by adding artists like Swift and Paramore to her credits, she expressed frustration at people discrediting her creativity. In addition to “Deja Vu,” Rodrigo credited Paramore on her song “Good 4 U” from the “Sour” album.
Although Rodrigo has chosen not to confirm the specific subjects of her songs, speculation continues about potential inspirations from her romantic history, including figures like record executive Zack Bia and producer Adam Faze. However, it remains uncertain whether “Vampire” is exclusively about one individual.
Both Rodrigo and Swift share a common approach to songwriting, refraining from publicly revealing the identities of their song subjects. In a 2019 interview with GQ, Swift explained, “I’ve never named names, so I feel like I still have a sense of power over what people say — even if that isn’t true, and even if I don’t have any power over what people say about me…The fact that I’ve never confirmed who those songs are about makes me feel like there is still one card I’m holding.”
