Olivia Rodrigo's newest banger 'deja vu' shows her growth as artist
If you haven’t heard Olivia Rodrigo’s new song “deja vu,” stop reading, go listen to it a few dozen times and then meet me back here.
The up-and-coming 18-year-old artist just released her second single, following her viral hit “drivers license,” which was released in January and is topping Billboard’s Hot 100 yet again. This also makes her the first Asian American woman to hit No. 1 on U.S. iTunes and Apple Music charts.
But what exactly makes Rodrigo’s music so special? Is it that we just love to hear our heartbreaks reflected in a song? Or is it Rodrigo herself has reinvented a music genre that many of us in Generation Z hold dear?
We’re all familiar with Rodrigo’s entrance into the music industry. Though she became well-known through her role as Nina in "High School Musical: The Musical: Series," “drivers license” put her on the map as a talented singer and songwriter.
The song evolved over a series of Instagram posts spanning nearly six months, where fans were able to hear Rodrigo rewrite the lyrics, play with the piano chords, etc. And once the song hit TikTok shortly after its release, it was clear that Rodrigo was going to be everyone’s new favorite artist.
I don’t know about you, but I was on “drivers license tok” for at least two weeks, and I’ve probably watched more than 100 videos about the song’s backstory and why Rodrigo is a songwriting genius.
Now that “deja vu” is finally out, it’s safe to say that Rodrigo is not a one-hit-wonder (not that I ever had my doubts). Like “drivers license," “deja vu” has a sad, bittersweet tone, but unlike her first track, "deja vu" adds in a whole new element of power and confidence.
The song revolves around an ex moving on with another person but doing the same things with them as they did in their last relationship. Unlike “drivers license,” this song isn’t mourning over lost moments but, rather, is stating that the good moments can't be recreated with someone new.
What I really loved about the track was how she wasn’t afraid to get personal with this song and experiment more with her sound by adding harmonies, echoes and more.
This song is also clearly a fruit of Rodrigo’s inspiration from other artists in the industry. Her most notable inspiration, which she never shies away from talking about, is Taylor Swift.
Rodrigo constantly talks about how Swift’s songwriting style and genre of music inspired her to write and create a world within her music. The inspiration can be heard clearly in the bridge of “deja vu,” which has an uncanny resemblance to Swift's “Cruel Summer,” in my opinion.
Furthermore, this inspiration seeps into Rodrigo’s previous work and her whole aesthetic as an artist. Like Swift, she’s branded herself as the queen of heartbreak. The only difference now is I’m actually old enough to understand what Rodrigo is talking about.
When Swift debuted, I was barely 6 years old. For a majority of her early hits, I was in middle school, and even though preteen me would argue otherwise, I’d never been in love or heartbroken.
Meanwhile, Rodrigo debuted as we entered our 20s, and it just hits different now. I feel like Rodrigo is bringing back a heartbreak, Swift-inspired subgenre of pop that I’ve been missing for far too long.
But this time, there’s no shame in being vulnerable and heartbroken. Rodrigo is reclaiming breakups for all of us and rewriting them as something beautiful.
What we all have to love about Rodrigo is that she isn’t afraid to be vulnerable. She says what we’re thinking, what we wish we had the guts to say. And she does it so well that I just can’t stop clicking play.
