NEWS
Olivia Rodrigo is stepping into a confident new chapter with the arrival of her third studio album, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love. During a conversation with Zane Lowe on Apple Music’s The Zane Lowe Show, the 23 year old singer-songwriter opened up about the personal growth behind the record, explaining how a more developed understanding of love, relationships, and heartbreak influenced the songs she created.
Looking back on the album title, Rodrigo said it perfectly captured her long standing fascination with emotions that are both beautiful and painful. "I always just thought that my favourite love songs were songs that were a little bit sad and a little bit broken, a little bit gut-wrenching," she said. "I love that title because it also reflected all of my favourite love songs. Songs that were about romance and about positivity but were also a little bit broken." She added that the title became even more meaningful as her own experiences became more layered. "Life has two sides. There's two sides to the coin of love."
One of the album's defining moments comes on the song "the cure," which Rodrigo described as the emotional center of the project. The track emerged after a powerful discussion with a close friend about the often complicated nature of modern relationships. "I was like, 'I want to write this record about love... I have all these love songs that I just love and I'm in this relationship that is "happy." why do I feel so depressed? Why can't I feel how I think it's supposed to feel in my head?'" Rodrigo recalled.
Creating the song gave her the opportunity to examine feelings in a way she could not during the SOUR and GUTS years. "Songwriting for me is best done when you're a little bit afraid to write it," she told Lowe. "Having written that song, I learned so much about myself... Just being a teenager, you look at love like black and white. You're like, 'This person hurt me and I hate them.' Or like, 'I love this person. They're the best person to ever exist.' And I think this record for me... is me playing in the gray area a little bit more."
Sienna Spiro has revealed that she struggled with deep insecurities about her body while growing up and often wore baggy clothing to cover herself when she began sharing her music.
The Die on this Hill singer says her father introduced her to legendary stars such as Barbra Streisand and Ava Gardner, whose glamorous style inspired her to picture a more confident side of herself.
She said trying out her now recognizable hairstyle became a major moment for her, explaining to Variety: “The first time I experimented with the hair, I felt like a more polished and powerful version of myself.” Her stage look helps her feel confident, particularly when she is tired or experiencing period pain. “There are days when changing my hair from how I normally wear it, or putting on my boots, helps me enter a different mindset and feel more self assured.”
The 20 year old artist also shared that she has experienced vocal nodules since she was young, describing them as both a positive and a negative because they create her signature raspy sound while also placing considerable pressure on her voice.
She remembered: “I did not receive an official diagnosis until two years ago, but my voice has always been incredibly raspy. I believe I may have had them for most of my life, or at least since I was very young.”
She admitted: “They can be both a gift and a struggle. I really like the character they bring to my voice, and sometimes they prevent me from reaching certain sounds, which can actually create something interesting. However, I was almost unable to speak for an entire year. The year before last, I barely talked at all. It was extremely difficult and made me feel very alone.”
Away from the stage, Sienna looks completely different without her dramatic hairstyle and high heels. She explained that adopting her performance persona often helps create some space between herself and the feelings that inspired her songs.
She said: “I do not really censor myself, which can be helpful but can also create problems. Still, honesty is the only way I know how to write, and being myself is the only way I can show up.”
“I am simply a 20 year old woman, and there are mornings when I wake up on my period and still have to get onstage and perform. Changing my everyday hairstyle or slipping into my boots allows me to become someone slightly different, giving me more confidence and some emotional distance from how I felt when those songs were written.”
She added: “High heels are not something I would ever choose to wear in my normal life.”
