Olivia Rodrigo Lights Up 2023 MTV Video Music Awards Stage
Olivia Rodrigo, the 20-year-old sensation, dazzled at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards on Tuesday, September 12, as she celebrated the release of her second album, “Guts.”
The crowd was in for a treat as Rodrigo’s performance began with a nod to her “Vampire” music video. Complete with a forest backdrop and glitchy effects, it left some, like Chase Stokes and Kelsea Ballerini, puzzled by the planned stage mishap.
After a brief snippet of “Good for You,” Rodrigo returned to the stage to deliver the infectious lyrics of “Get Him Back.” She shared the limelight with lookalikes, a playful nod to her recently released music video for the same track, which had dropped just hours before the awards show.
Fans had mixed reactions, taking to social media to question the visual effects. “Girl, is this part of Olivia Rodrigo’s performance?! What is going on?!” tweeted one bewildered fan.
Meanwhile, another social media user noted Selena Gomez’s reaction, saying, “Selena’s face while Olivia’s performance says it all.”
Rodrigo’s devoted fans, however, were thrilled by her artistic vision. “Olivia Rodrigo is so SICKENING…,” exclaimed a third fan, sharing a clip of her performance.
The talented artist has garnered six nominations at the ceremony, including Video of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Video, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and Song of Summer for her hit single “Vampire.” This marks her first performance at the VMAs since 2021.
In each category, Rodrigo faces competition from Taylor Swift, who leads with 11 nominations at the 2023 VMAs.
For months, rumors swirled about a potential falling out between Rodrigo and Swift. Rodrigo added fuel to the fire when she revealed in August that she hadn’t attended one of Swift’s Eras Tour concerts due to her busy schedule.
Addressing speculation that “Vampire” was inspired by Swift, Rodrigo commented, “I was very surprised when people thought that. I mean, I never want to say who any of my songs are about. I’ve never done that before in my career and probably won’t. I think it’s better to not pigeonhole a song to being about this one thing.”
Upon the release of “Guts,” fans speculated that the track “The Grudge” might reference Rodrigo’s copyright dispute with Swift. Rodrigo added Swift and her “Cruel Summer” collaborators, Jack Antonoff and St. Vincent, as co-writers on “Deja Vu” after acknowledging Swift’s influence on her 2021 album, “Sour.”
Rodrigo’s explanation in song form went like this: “The arguments that I’ve won against you in my head / In the shower, in the car and in the mirror before bed. Yeah, I’m so tough when I’m alone, and I make you feel so guilty / And I fantasize about a time you’re a little f–kin’ sorry.”
However, Rodrigo clarified her stance in an interview with Rolling Stone, stating, “I’m very chill. I keep to myself. I have my four friends and my mom, and that’s really the only people I talk to, ever. There’s nothing to say. There’s so many Twitter conspiracy theories. I only look at alien-conspiracy theories.”
Rodrigo has been in the spotlight for writing songs that fans speculate are about her well-known connections. Her breakthrough hit, “Drivers License,” gained immense popularity as listeners pondered whether her split from Joshua Bassett and his subsequent relationship with Sabrina Carpenter were the inspiration behind the song.
During an interview, Rodrigo reflected on the whirlwind experience, saying, “Literally, it was the first song out of the gate and all of that s—t happened. I felt so ill-equipped. That was an overwhelming experience, but now I definitely feel a responsibility. I just try not to think about it during the writing process.”
While crafting “Guts,” Rodrigo focused on writing what she wanted without dwelling on how the songs might be received, a process that led to a track inspired by the fallout from the “Drivers License” drama. Rodrigo shared, “There’s one song that I wrote about how my life changed because of all of the things that happened with the last album and how crazy that was. It was cathartic in the end, but it was kind of hard dredging up all of that stuff.”
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