Olivia Rodrigo is addressing rumors that “Vampire,” the first single part of her sophomore album “Guts,” is about Taylor Swift.
“I was very surprised when people thought that,” she told the Guardian. “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.”
Speculation surrounding “Vampire” being linked to Swift stems from claims of plagiarism related to tracks from Rodrigo’s debut album “Sour.” After fans noticed that her “Deja Vu” track shared similarities with Swift’s own “Cruel Summer,” she ended up giving 50% of the credits and royalties for the track back to Swift. She, too, was met with plagiarism claims against her standout “Good 4 U” to that of Paramore’s “Misery Business,” to which she also shared the credits and royalties back to the band.
“Vampire’s” lyrics led fans to believe the track was about the credits/royalties issue between the two artists as Rodrigo’s lyrics reference being bled dry for the sake of stardom and status: “Bloodsucker, famefucker / Bleedin’ me dry, like a goddamn vampire.”
When the plagiarism claims first came her way, Rodrigo revealed it was “disappointing to see people take things out of context and discredit any young woman’s work.” Now, however, she shares she has a better grasp on the inner workings of the music industry at full.
“I was so green as to how the music industry worked, the litigious side,” she said. “I feel like now I know so much more about the industry and I just feel…better equipped in that regard. It wasn’t something I thought about too much.”
Rodrigo’s “Guts,” the follow-up to her Grammy Award-winning “Sour,” makes its debut this Friday via Geffen Records.
