When one reaches a certain level of pop stardom, their fans are often going to pick apart lyrics and search for various clues and Easter eggs. Back in June, Olivia Rodrigo kicked off the era for her sophomore album Guts with her new song, “Vampire.”
Upon the release of “Vampire,” many fans thought Rodrigo was singing about Zack Bia or Joshua Bassett, to both of whom she had previously been linked romantically. But some theorized that the song might not even be about an ex of hers at all.
On the song’s chorus, Rodrigo sings about a “bloodsucker, fame-f*cker, bleeding me dry like a goddamn vampire.” Some fans thought this particular line might have been about Taylor Swift.
In an interview the The Guardian, Rodrigo didn’t confirm or deny these rumors, however, she admitted she was rather shocked when she read some of these theories.
“How do I answer this?” Rodrigo said “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.”
Rodrigo has long been open about how Swift has been an inspiration to her, however, rumors circulated that the two were no longer friends, after Swift booked Sabrina Carpenter — who, along with Bassett, is said to be one of the subjects of Rodrigo’s breakthrough single, “Drivers License” — as one of the openers for the Latin American leg of her Eras Tour. There was also said to be tension between Swift and Rodrigo after Rodrigo gave 50% of royalties from her song “Deja Vu” to Swift, as it sounded similar to Swift’s song, “Cruel Summer.”
But rumors aside, Rodrigo seems to be unfazed by these rumors.
Guts is out 9/8 via Geffen. Find more information here.