Olivia Rodrigo may have been born in 2003, but she’s a '90s kid at heart.
Her chart-topping debut album "Sour" was partly inspired by the decade, along with influences from Taylor Swift and Lorde.
“I'm really inspired by vintage things. I’m obsessed with the '90s and '90s music and '90s pop culture,” Rodrigo told "Hot Ones" host Sean Evans in a recent episode. “There’s definitely nods to that in my music, but I was born in 2003 so it's very much a Gen Z sort of thing so that inevitably shows itself in everything I do.”
Evans pointed out that the "Good 4 U" music video features VHS effects and cult-classic horror movie references, describing it as a blend of "novelty and nostalgia."
Rodrigo said that video was exciting to film and since it involves curtains on fire and a flooded bedroom, she had only one take to get it right.
"We shot the entire thing in a day," she said. "I was just like running on adrenaline."
After "Good 4 U" hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on May 24, Olivia posted on Instagram in celebration.
"GOOD 4 U IS NUMBER ONE!!!!!!!! IM SO HAPPY AHHHHHH!!!!! ily @dan_nigro @alexander23" she captioned the photo.
Rodrigo's album "Sour" might be a chart-topper — and her debut single "Drivers License" set the Spotify record for most streams in a day for a non-holiday song — but that girl cannot handle her spice.
"I am the worst with spice, like literally I think that bell peppers are spicy and don’t eat bell peppers, so it’s going to be fun,” Rodrigo admitted before taking a bite of her first hot wing.
Though Rodrigo blazed through the first half of the sauces with ease, by the end of the video she had tears in her eyes and couldn't get more than a sentence out without chugging milk.
"It's definitely clearing out my sinuses," she said between sips of water. "I can, like, breathe easy."
When she could get a word, Rodrigo shared that she's been passionate about music as long as she can remember.
"I've always been singing and making music since I could talk and I’ve been writing songs since I was like 9 years old. It's so funny to watch old videos of me. I was so confident. I would just go up there and own it," she said. "I wish I was still like that nowadays but it's a little more difficult when you’re older."
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Evans noticed that her album covers a "wide gamut" of styles. He asked about Rodrigo's ability to differentiate between ideas that belong in a "pop punk song versus a heartbreak ballad versus an alt rock anthem."
“It doesn’t always have to be so linear," she responded. "Some of my favorite music is music that's, like, super upbeat but the lyrics are so f---ing depressing. I think that’s the cool thing about making music in 2021 — everything is becoming increasingly genre-less.”
Rodrigo describes herself as a "very lyric-centered person" and said every song she ever written probably started with an idea written down on her phone. She once again sounds relatable to both Gen Zers and millennials!