Olivia Rodrigo will never forget the first time she heard Lorde’s breakout single, “Royals,” because it changed her life.
“I remember hearing that song on the radio at the time… It was one of those ‘pinch me’ moments where you always remember, a snapshot memory, like, ‘Oh my God, what is this?!’ Changes the trajectory of your life,” said Rodrigo during The Hollywood Reporter’s recent Songwriter Roundtable discussion.
Talking to fellow songwriters like Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, and Jon Batiste, Rodrigo shared her experience hearing Lorde for the first time and reflected on Pure Heroine’s impact. “I remember listening to it as I first started writing songs and just being blown away by her lyrics that are just about being a teenager living in the suburbs,” Rodrigo said. “I just remember never hearing my life be put into a song like that where it just made being young and doing these seemingly unimportant things feel so sacred.”
Considering Rodrigo and Lorde began their music careers at similar ages and given their shared love of layered harmonies, light melodrama, and trend-shifting sonics, it’s no surprise that Rodrigo takes inspiration from the Solar Power singer. But Lorde isn’t the only musician who has left a lasting impact on Rodrigo’s output — she’s previously named Kathleen Hanna, St. Vincent, and Jack White (whom she names as her “hero of all heroes”) as her current mentors, and last September, shared that Rage Against the Machine was her “favorite band” at the time.
Watch The Hollywood Reporter‘s Songwriter Roundtable Discussion below; Rodrigo talks about Lorde’s Pure Heroine beginning at the 6:45 mark.
Rodrigo is getting ready to embark on her 2024 “GUTS” World Tour, which kicks off in February. You can buy tickets to the US dates via StubHub, and tickets to Europe and UK dates are available now on Viagogo. In addition to her 2023 album GUTS being one of the best albums of last year, Rodrigo also nabbed six 2024 Grammy nominations, including one for Best Rock Song.
As for Lorde, she debuted two new songs last summer at Boardmasters festival in the UK, and while she hasn’t announced a new album, she does appear to be riding her own wave of inspiration.
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