Olivia Rodrigo Sparks Collective Teenage Angst With Debut Album ‘SOUR’

We’ve found our new darling of pop and her name is Olivia Rodrigo.

Four months after breaking the internet with her wistful breakup ballad drivers license, the 18-year-old Disney star’s trajectory has continued to skyrocket. Preceding her album’s release, drivers license debuted at #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 followed by deja vu which reached #8 on the chart, making Olivia the first artist in Hot 100 history to debut her first two singles in the top 10. Her third single, good 4 u, was released one week before her album dropped and also received critical acclaim.

Enter: SOUR, the singer’s highly-anticipated debut album released on May 21st, 2021.

A collection of songs centered around the “sour” emotions we all experience but shamefully attempt to bury, the album explores heartbreak, jealousy, and anger through the lens of a scored teenage girl whose breakup feels all-encompassing. Dubbed “flawless Gen Z pop” by the Los Angeles Times, SOUR was heavily influenced by Olivia’s favourite genres like alt-rock and folk, as well as her favourite singer-songwriters including Taylor Swift and Kacey Musgraves.

Forging “a path into an entirely new realm of pop,” SOUR‘s combination of melancholic angst and confronting honesty feels like plunging into the depths of Olivia’s innermost thoughts and feelings that would otherwise be too personal to share— an experience that has captivated both fans and critics alike.

Written by Olivia and producer Dan Nigro along with a few collaborators, the album has seen astronomical success for a debut, hitting #1 on US Apple Music with all 11 songs reaching the top 30. Good 4 u remains at #1 on the global Spotify charts after several days, reaching over 8.5 million streams the day SOUR was released.

Possibly more impressive than its chart-topping success and critical acclaim, however, has been the response to SOUR across social media. Take a scroll through your timeline today and you’ll find content aplenty reacting to the album’s ability to spark a steep and rapid spiral into our feels. SOUR‘s superpower is that it doesn’t discriminate— regardless of age, relationship status, or your proximity to a nervous breakdown, Olivia’s voice will pierce your soul and drudge up that teen angst and self-loathing you’ve worked hard to keep deeply repressed all these years. SOUR serves us a relatable mix of side-character narrative with main character energy, and we’re high-key living for this emotionally disturbing rollercoaster.

Here’s a roundup of the funniest and most disarming reactions to Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album SOUR. Because we have to laugh otherwise we’ll cry.

(Or keep crying.)

First up we have the memes, with fans are turning to memes to express their praise for the singer-songwriter.

Then we have some die-hard fans who are getting defensive of their heartbroken queen and vowing to destroy the man who hurt their fave. Others are turning Olivia’s experience into their own main character journey.

It seems Millennials as a whole feel victimised by SOUR, as they’d hoped their teenage turmoil was behind them. However, some seem to be finding incredible nostalgia in reliving these emotions.

And of course, we have the inevitable Taylor Swift comparisons. Olivia has long cited Taylor’s music as a major source of inspiration and the two are rumoured to be working together on a project (possibly a tour?!) soon.

Alexa, put SOUR on repeat.