Punk-rocker is not the first term that comes to mind when most hear the name of the Disney star turned “Drivers License” singer Olivia Rodrigo. However, with “ballad of a homeschooled girl,” which was nominated for Best Rock Song at the 66th Grammys and the release of her sophomore album “GUTS,” the title might suit her more than expected.
Although Rodrigo lost the category to boygenius, the nomination brought her name into a space that was defined by strictly rock and punk acts. This includes artists like Nirvana, Green Day, Foo Fighters, The Red Hot Chili Peppers as well as Alanis Morrisette, who is an inspiration for Rodrigo, according to the New York Times.
Looking at multiple tracks from “GUTS,” we see rockstar Rodrigo in full force. In addition to “ballad of a homeschooled girl,” her rock and punk leaning titles include “all-american bitch,” “get him back!” and “bad idea right?” from “GUTS,” along with “good 4 u,” “jealousy, jealousy” and “brutal” from “SOUR.”
Rodrigo told the New York Times in an August interview that she’s “always loved rock music, and always wanted to find a way that I could make it feel like me, and make it feel feminine and still telling a story and having something to say that’s vulnerable and intimate.”
Her best example of this ‘feminine rock’ sound is the opening track of “GUTS:” “all-american bitch.” The song alternates between delicate and sweet (but sarcastic) verses and an explosive, angsty chorus.
The verses include lyrics like “I am light as a feather and as stiff as a board / I pay attention to things that most people ignore” and “I feel for your every little issue, I know just what you mean / And I make light of the darkness.” In the same forced sugar-sweet tone, Rodrigo repeats “I’m grateful all the time / I’m sexy and I’m kind / I’m pretty when I cry” as the song closes.
Yet in a sharp contrast, Rodrigo’s chorus erupts, screaming the lyrics “I forgive and I forget / I know my age and I act like it / Got what you can’t resist / I’m a perfect all-American–.”
The juxtaposition the verses and chorus present gives a sense of rebellion. Each time the raging chorus comes along, it is as if Rodrigo is rejecting the impossible standards that come with identifying as a woman (represented in the verses). She also calls out the standard women are often met with to repress their emotions.
This is precisely what Rodrigo means by ‘feminine rock:’ the maintaining of her loud, youthful angst and electric guitars without having to sacrifice the depth and themes in her songwriting. Rodrigo is using the traditionally ‘male’ sounds of punk and rock to express her femininity.
In an interview with Apple Music, Rodrigo said “I think [all-american bitch] expresses something that I’ve been trying to express since I was 15 years old, this repressed anger and feeling of confusion or trying to be put into a box as a girl.”
In a sense, this song is also representative of Rodrigo’s multi-faceted sound. Of course, both albums still come with piano ballads and pop-leaning tracks as well her grungier songs. Rodrigo embraces the fact that music genres are not static and can be molded to truly express herself.
Early in her career, 20-year old Rodrigo is still honing her sound. Just looking at the progression from “SOUR” to “GUTS,” it looks like Rodrigo is leaning more and more into rock and punk.
However, other artists like Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato have paved the way for her. With both artists being Disney-star-turned-rock-stars who showcased a similar feminine rock sound (for example, the highly criticized “Wrecking Ball”).
Cyrus won her very first Grammy this year, while Rodrigo already has three under her belt from her first album. This signifies that the stigma surrounding feminine rock is slowly fading away.
With the Grammys acknowledging her presence in rock music, Rodrigo is notably making a place for herself in the rock and punk genres.
In her feminine rock song “all-american bitch,” she puts it best: “I know my place, I know my place and this is it.”