On June 30th, the queen of Gen Z, Olivia Rodrigo, made her triumphant return with ‘vampire,’ the lead single from her highly anticipated second album, GUTS. And social media users cannot get enough.
From the moment the single dropped, fans were captivated by Olivia’s bold songwriting, with many praising her touching vocal performance and ability to express her experiences and emotions perfectly.
However, the intrigue doesn’t stop there. The song’s introspective and personal lyrics, seemingly referencing a person in Olivia’s life who used her for fame and personal gain, have sparked a frenzy of speculation among TikTok users. Listeners have taken to the platform to analyse every lyric, dissecting the song’s meaning and hoping to unravel the mystery of who exactly the song is about.
Is ‘vampire’ about Adam Faze?
With ‘drivers license’ reportedly inspired by a love triangle between Olivia, her High School Musical spinoff co-star Joshua Bassett and singer Sabrina Carpenter, it’s no surprise that many internet users believe that ‘vampire’ also focuses on relationships. This time, however, many believe that the new single is about an ex-boyfriend— with fans pointing fingers at Adam Faze and Zack Bia.
Olivia dated Adam for about seven months, from July 2021 to February 2022. The couple was first spotted publicly at the Space Jam: A New Legacy event at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. At the time, Olivia, who was 18 years old, reportedly brought the then-24-year-old producer as her plus-one and introduced him as her boyfriend. But by early 2022, Olivia had unfollowed Adam on Instagram, indicating an end to their romance.
Not only do lyrics like “I loved you truly / You gotta laugh at the stupidity” make sense for a song about an ex-boyfriend, but social media users have also pointed to the age gap between the pair.
Over the years, vampires have been depicted as immortal creatures in popular culture and mythology, often frozen at a young age. With this in mind, some fans have suggested that Olivia could be referencing her six-year age difference with Adam through the song’s vampire motif.
“what if vampire is about the relationship with adam faze and the age gap? vampire is a creature that “does not age”… like when edward was a few dozen or hundreds of years old and dated a teenager,” one Twitter user theorised.
Adding fuel to the fire, the two made their public debut as a couple exactly two years before Olivia dropped ‘vampire.’
While many fans were convinced that Olivia was referencing Adam, a source “close” to the singer confirmed to People Magazine that the song is not about him.
Is ‘vampire’ about Zack Bia?
For those who aren’t totally sure about the Adam Faze theory but believe the song is about an ex-boyfriend, take a moment to consider Zack Bia.
The pair were romantically linked after being spotted together in February 2022. Throughout their six-month relationship, they were photographed together around New York City and on dinner dates.
Given that the couple allegedly broke up in August 2022, many fans are convinced that ‘vampire’ is about Zack because of the lyric “six months of torture.” Other social media users have pointed out that the description, “only come out at night,” suits him because he is a DJ and promoter.
Adding further weight to this theory, numerous fans have noticed similarities between Olivia’s songwriting and another one of Zack’s ex-girlfriends, Madison Beer. Shannon of the Fluently Forward podcast shared her thoughts in a TikTok, pointing out some parallels between ‘vampire’ and Madison’s Selfish— a song that is rumoured to be about Zack.
TikTok users like @kaylikouture have also pointed to the imagery in the music video as a clue. As Kayli explains, “In the music video, when the lights fall on Olivia, it zooms out and shows the 19th annual awards. Olivia dated Adam when she was 18 and Zach when she was 19. I think I have solved it.”
With compelling arguments for both Adam and Zack, many fans have concluded that the song may be a reflection of both relationships, especially with Olivia sharing that, “It felt very cathartic to finish [writing ‘vampire’].”
can’t tell whether vampire is about adam faze or zack bia cause they were both way older than her and both creepy
— julianna! (@lanamiamusic) June 30, 2023
Is ‘vampire’ about Taylor Swift?
But as is often the case with the internet, users love to throw a rogue theory into the mix. Many have claimed that ‘vampire’ is not about Adam or Zack but rather about Taylor Swift.
While it is widely known that Taylor is a significant source of inspiration for Olivia, there have been persistent rumours about a feud between the two singers for months. The tension between them initially surfaced in 2021 when Olivia faced numerous plagiarism claims related to her debut album SOUR. In response to the outcry, Olivia and her label eventually gave writing credits to Taylor, Jack Antonoff, and St. Vincent due to perceived similarities between Olivia’s ‘deja vu’ and Taylor’s ‘Cruel Summer.’
But when SOUR received numerous Grammy nominations, Taylor and her team were reportedly not credited as artists for ‘deja vu.’ Since then, fans noticed that the singers’ stopped supporting one another online, with suspicions growing even stronger after the recent announcement that Sabrina Carpenter would be the opening act for the international Eras Tour dates.
That being said, TikTok users like @thekylemarisa have taken to the platform to note the parallels between Taylor’s most recent album, Midnights, and the lyrics in ‘vampire.’ One of the more compelling arguments in her TikTok points to the music video where she considers the “19th Annual Awards” as a nod to the Grammy Awards, where Taylor was not credited as a songwriter.
On top of this, TikTokers like @eliudloud claim that the lyric “‘Cause girls your age know better” is another reference to Taylor.
While Olivia will likely never confirm who ‘vampire’ is about, chances are we will gain greater insight into her personal life over the past few years upon the release of GUTS. And there’s no denying that fans will eagerly be on the lookout for any sort of clue.