Olivia Rodrigo Released Her Second Album Two Weeks Ago. What Do People Think?
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New pop singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo is already one of the most popular musical talents of the 2020s, and she just released her second album, ‘Guts.’ The album, which dropped on September 8, reflects on the changes 20-year-old Rodrigo has gone through while maturing through immense stardom these last few years. Here’s everything you need to know about the new album and what people think about it.
Who is Olivia Rodrigo?
Olivia Rodrigo is an actress and singer who initially gained recognition for her lead roles on the Disney television programs ‘Bizaardvark’ (2016–2019) and ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’ (2019–2022).
Songwriter and producer Daniel Nigro heard Rodrigo’s singing in ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’ and was amazed. He reached out to Rodrigo through Instagram and said he was interested in collaborating, and at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, they wrote and recorded an album together.
Two-for-two chart-topping albums
‘Guts’ comes on the heels of Rodrigo’s extremely successful debut album ‘Sour,’ which she and Nigro released in May of 2021. ‘Sour’ was initially planned to be an EP, but following the immense success of Rodrigo’s debut single, “Drivers License,” she chose to expand it to a full-length album.
Four of the five promotional singles released prior to ‘Sour’ charted in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 record chart. The album itself received a slew of awards and nominations, including a Grammy for “Best Pop Vocal Album,” an AMA for “Favorite Pop Album,” and a People’s Choice Award for “Album of the Year.”
Chart rankings so far
How has ‘Guts’ performed on the charts so far? Well, the new album has topped the album charts in at least 12 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and Sweden. The album immediately debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, and earned over 300,000 album-equivalent units, which is how streaming numbers are compared to physical album sales.
Critic reviews
So far, ‘Guts’ seems to be one of the rare pieces of art that’s highly praised by both critics and fans. Critic reviews on review aggregator Metacritic have given the album an impressive average score of 91 out of 100, indicating universal acclaim.
Critics are calling the album an instant classic and a common theme among reviews is praising Rodrigo for her versatility. Like her last album, ‘Guts’ includes a variety of different musical styles from slow ballads to uptempo pop-punk anthems. Critics have also praised Rodrigo for her witty and bold lyrics.
Fan reviews
Fans loved the new album too, as is evident purely by the streaming numbers. On Metacritic, ‘Guts’ currently has an average rating of 7.8 out of 10 from casual fans, and audience members have been quick to praise what they love about the album.
Many reviewers mentioned the album’s highly danceable beats, a testament to the songwriting power of Rodrigo and Nigro together. Additionally, fans love hearing the authentic emotion from Rodrigo as she expresses the difficulties of coming to fame in the dramatic fashion she has.