By Brenda Haro Ramirez
Olivia Rodrigo’s new Sophomore album Guts splattered onto streaming platforms on September 8th and threw itself up to #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. Rodrigo, who is only 20 years old, has made her mark on the pop culture scene with her debut album Sour in 2021, which had multiple tracks go viral on TikTok and reached #1 on the Billboard 200 chart as well. Rodrigo has been in the spotlight for quite a while. At only 13 years old, she earned her first leading role in the Disney Channel show Bizaardvark in 2016 as Paige Olvera. In 2019, she gained more attention for her role as Nini in the Disney+ original High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. Eventually, Rodrigo released Sour and was by this time a very well known figure in the industry. Guts appears to be Sour’s sister, with the same grungy vibe Rodrigo went for on her debut album, but this time even stronger. Songs on the album are the perfect blend of pop-rock, soft ballads, and feelings teenage girls experience at some point in their lives. In one of the songs, pretty isn’t pretty, Olivia shares her intense desperation about how she could change everything about herself, yet still not feel as though she is pretty or enough. Many can relate to this feeling encapsulated into a 3 minute song as we currently live in a society where beauty is defined by standards that are insane and physically impossible. All in all, Rodrigo’s new album is definitely worth a listen, and if you are going through the tragedy that is being a teenage girl, this album is for you.