Olivia Rodrigo “felt so much pressure” while working on her second album.
The 20-year-old singer released ‘GUTS’, the follow-up to her debut record ‘SOUR’ in September and admitted that the process of creating the album was difficult as she was worried about how it would be received.
Speaking at Variety’s Hitmakers brunch, where she received the Storyteller of the Year Award, Olivia explained: “I wouldn’t say it’s always been effortless for me by any means. Especially making my most recent album, I had so many voices in my head and I felt so much pressure to please everyone with the music I was making.
““I found that just simply showing up to create something everyday, even if I didn’t feel extremely inspired, was what pulled me out of that dread and made me start to get really excited about the music I was making.
“I’ve always been a big believer in the magic of creativity. And I think that the more often I show up and I have discipline with my writing, the more often I feel ideas come through me almost like you’re just tapping into some otherworldly well for the hour or so that if takes you to write a song, and then you’re kind of snapped back into reality. I think it’s what makes telling stories and making music so incredibly exciting and fulfilling.”
Olivia was presented with her award by St Vincent, who said: “Olivia sees the cracks and contradictions in herself and others and makes the ineffable understandable and transformational for her listeners. Her honest songs about the impossible task of growing up have liberated so many young people fighting and fumbling their ways through the same experiences. But it’s not merely paying attention that matters to the craft of songwriting. It’s also how you observe and how you listen.
“And that’s what’s special about Olivia, and why her fans consider her songs their personal rallying cries, is that she bears witness from a place of openness and compassion. Olivia’s songs pull off the magic trick of sounding like all of us at once, but also uniquely just like her.”