Just seven minutes before Olivia Rodrigo joins a phone interview, Billboard reveals that her latest track, “Drop Dead,” has soared to the top of the Hot 100 chart. Upon hearing this news, Rodrigo is momentarily speechless, admitting, “It’s been a very exciting few weeks.”
Indeed, Rodrigo is speaking during a brief pause in her Saturday Night Live rehearsals, where she is scheduled to perform as both host and musical guest this weekend. She confesses, “I’m really nervous about it, but I’m trying to maintain my composure.”
Adding to her list of achievements, Rodrigo’s logo will soon feature on FC Barcelona’s jerseys during the highly anticipated El Clásico match on May 10. Reflecting on her first experience at a European football game, she says, “I’m an American girl, but I went to my first European football game a few years ago, and it was just the most electric, wonderful environment. The fans were so incredible, and I loved all the chants they did. It was actually really inspiring musically.” She also recently enjoyed watching David Beckham’s documentary.
This collaboration is part of Spotify’s ongoing sponsorship of FC Barcelona, allowing major musical artists to have their logos displayed on jerseys worn by top players like Lamine Yamal and Raphinha. Starting May 1, the public can purchase limited-edition jerseys, T-shirts, and more through the official store.
In an interview with Vogue, Olivia Rodrigo discusses the whirlwind of recent events, the influence of fashion on her work, and the style of her upcoming album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, set to release in June.
Vogue: In the promotional materials for your collaboration with Barça, you’re wearing bloomers, reminiscent of the “Drop Dead” video. Can you discuss the video’s costume design?
Olivia Rodrigo: I really love the idea of a babydoll dress. I just remember being younger and having pictures of Courtney Love and Kat Bjelland from all these riot grrrl punk bands in their babydoll dresses, just owning it. I always thought that that was really cool, and so I like that there’s an element of that. I also like that it kind of feels a little pajama-y. The concept of the video is like magical realism for me. Like, oh, I just woke up and I’m in Versailles, I’m trapezing through the halls in this outfit that I maybe could have just woken up in. That was sort of the nexus of it, and I think the colors went really well with the beautiful gold backdrop and then tied into my album imagery as well.
