Olivia Rodrigo on her new 'High School Musical' song and her image: 'Iām just living my life'
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Stop your Spotify playlists: There's a new Olivia Rodrigo song.
It's not a B-side from her record-breaking debut album "Sour," but rather a "Beauty and the Beast"-inspired number written for her Disney+ series "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series." But fans of the burgeoning 18-year-old pop star won't be disappointed with "The Rose Song," even if it's not about Rodrigo's life, but Nini's, her character in the series.
Rodrigo penned the sweet, uplifting song ā featured in the final scene of the new season's sixth episode (now streaming), just as she wrote "All I Want" for Season 1. The new song's self-empowered lyrics suggest that there may be trouble ahead for Nini and her boyfriend Ricky (Joshua Bassett, the rumored subject of Rodrigo's No. 1 single "Drivers License"), as the couple had tense exchanges during the episode. Although Nini struggles onscreen to write the song, Rodrigo had no such writer's block.
"It sort of felt like a magical experience when I wrote āThe Rose Song,ā" Rodrigo says. "I wrote the first version chords in 20 minutes the morning after (āHigh School Musicalā producer Tim Federle) called me and told me about the concept of the song. It felt like it was meant to be."
Rodrigo spoke to USA TODAY this week about "Rose Song," what to expect in the rest of "High School Musical" Season 2 and the many millennials obsessed with "Sour."
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Question: Itās been a really big summer for you already with "High School Musical" Season 2 and your album coming out. How are you feeling?
Olivia Rodrigo: Iām feeling really great, actually. Things are starting to slow down a bit for me and Iām going to have a real break, which Iām really excited about. Iām really proud of the things that Iāve made and itās really exciting to see it out in the world.
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Q: In this episode, Nini is asked to write a song for her character in East High's performance of "Beauty and Beast" (she is playing the rose in the Beast's castle). She struggles to write a duet for the rose and the Beast. Eventually, Nini cracks it when she changes the song to be solely about the rose, and essentially about herself. Was that significant to you?
Rodrigo: Lots of times I have that experience with songwriting just like Nini, where youāre trying to make something, trying to write about something that youāre not actually feeling. The second that youāre like, "Oh, let me just write about my real life," it becomes so much easier. It becomes therapeutic and the song becomes more meaningful. Iāve had that experience in my life and in my songwriting so it was cool to portray that on TV.
Q: Is writing songs for the show different from working on songs for your music career?
Rodrigo: Oh my gosh, itās so different but still fun. I think working within a prompt and having constraints to your creativity is so fun, and a great challenge for me as a songwriter. When Iām writing songs for myself the world is my oyster and I can write about whatever I want. (But) itās really nice to (say) "OK, this is what Iām going to write about, I already have the topic chosen for me and Iām just going to do the best I can with this information."
Q: Can you reveal anything about the rest of Season 2 that you're really excited for fans to see?
Rodrigo: There are so many relationship ups and downs with all of the characters.Iām really excited for people to also see new relationships start up that havenāt been seen before in the previous episodes. Those are really fun for me; I love love.
Q: Ricky and Nini didnāt seem like theyāre in a great place after Episode 6.
Rodrigo: I canāt disclose too much, but there is so much going on with that.
Q: I donāt know if youāve seen the online discussion making fun of millennials and older people for loving your album so much. Were you surprised that it connected with people beyond your generation?
Rodrigo: I donāt know if surprised would be the word. I was just so pleased that it connected with people older than me. Even if youāre not going through a heartbreak it can take you back to a time when you were experiencing feelings like that. My favorite part about music is that it can transport you to different places. My songs can transport a 50-year-old man back to when he was 18 going through his first heartbreak. And not something I take for granted.
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Q: Some people have drawn comparisons between you and previous Disney stars, and how your respective careers and images diverge. Is that something you think about yourself? Are you worried about that kind of image?
Rodrigo: I think about it sometimes. At the core of it I really just try to make music that resonates with me, and thatās all I can do. How people perceive me is really none of my business. Iāve really always thought of myself as a singer/songwriter who found acting rather than a child star who decided to give singing a shot. Iām just really living my life and trying to write songs that really resonate with me and other people, and thatās all I can do.
Q: Do you have any big dreams about whatās next in music or acting? Maybe a collaboration with another artist like Taylor Swift?
Rodrigo: (Laughs) I literally donāt know what Iām eating for breakfast tomorrow, my life is so up in the air. But I am really excited to go on tour and perform. I havenāt done many performances. The performances Iāve done have been the Brit Awards and "Saturday Night Live," which were huge and insane. But Iām really excited to meet people who are listening to my music and go travel and sing my songs. Thatās the dream.
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