Olivia Rodrigo
Morgan Maher for Cosmopolitan
While Olivia Rodrigo’s previous studio albums have both soared to the top of the Billboard 200, she remains remarkably grounded. Even if her upcoming third record, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, deviates from that streak, she has found a guiding philosophy in a nostalgic anthem from Camp Rock.
In a candid cover story for Cosmopolitan, penned by her close friend Madison Hu and released this Wednesday (April 29), the pop phenomenon reflected on her personal definition of success. “If my album were to underperform and didn’t resonate, it would still feel like a triumph to me,” she shared. “As long as I can look in the mirror and affirm, ‘This is real, this is me / I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be,’ then I’ve succeeded.”
These lyrics are, of course, the pivotal emotional core of “This Is Me,” the power ballad performed by Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas in their iconic 2008 Disney Channel feature. Long before her stint on Bizaardvark, Rodrigo was a devoted fan of that era of Disney programming. She famously shared a nostalgic snapshot during her 2022 Sour Tour, featuring a young Rodrigo staging “pretend concerts” that included tracks from the Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, and Selena Gomez.
Commercial expectations aside, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love—slated for a June 12 release—is already proving to be a formidable contender. The lead single, “Drop Dead,” debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100, marking a historic achievement: she is the first artist to launch all three of her debut singles from her first three albums at the pinnacle of the chart.
During her conversation with Hu, the Grammy-winning artist noted that crafting this project felt closer to the organic energy of her debut, Sour, rather than the high-stakes atmosphere surrounding her sophomore effort, Guts.
“Developing Guts came with an overwhelming sense of pressure,” she admitted. “I was paralyzed by the fear that I had run out of good songs. It stopped being about the music and started feeling like a performance to appease expectations or prove my worth.”
She added, “With this new collection, I moved past that sophomore stress. I rediscovered the freedom of my teenage years, writing purely for the joy of creation.”
