Olivia Rodrigo Calls Out a ‘Bloodsucker’ Ex on Cathartic New Single ‘Vampire’

It's been a while since we last heard from Olivia Rodrigo. The breakout pop star has been making moves under the radar following the release of her blockbuster 2021 debut Sour. And today, she's back with "Vampire," the lead single from her forthcoming sophomore album Guts and her first new music since a 2022 track from High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. Rodrigo is bringing back producer Dan Nigro, who produced Sour, for her new work.

On "Vampire," over lilting piano, Rodrigo offers a theatrical account of the mistakes she made with a man who was only in it for her fame. "Bloodsucker, fame f---er," she sings, her voice shrinking from a shout to a tremble. "Bleedin' me dry like a goddamn vampire."

The video is fittingly melodramatic, helmed by noted pop-feminist director Petra Collins, who also directed the excellent video for Sour single "Good 4 U." It begins with Rodrigo singing in a foggy fake forest, and the fairy tale takes a turn when she's knocked unconscious by an overhead studio light. The camera zooms out, and she's onstage at an award show. Rodrigo carries on with her performance before escaping on foot and running from the cops, covered in blood. "Vampire" feels indebted to the work of Fiona Apple, from the rumbling piano to the theatrics and feminist bent.

"I just sat down at the piano one day and played these chords that felt kind of gothic to me," Rodrigo told Rolling Stone of the song's origins. "I think there’s a lot of vampire lore to be played with like 'You only come out at night' and stuff like that. There's a lot of fun songwriting fodder in there."

Since the song was teased, fans have been speculating about its real-life target. Some have proposed that given its references to an age gap ("Went for me and not her/'Cause girls your age know better") and half-year relationship timeline ("Six months of torture you sold as some forbidden paradise"), the song refers to one or both of Rodrigo's older ex-boyfriends, producer Adam Faze or DJ and label founder Zack Bia, with whom she was linked successively in 2021 and 2022.

In social-media posts that accompanied the release, Rodrigo wrote that "writing this song helped me sort through lots of feelings of regret, anger, and heartache. it’s one of my favorite songs on the album and it felt very cathartic to finish. im so happy it’s in your hands now and I hope it helps u deal with any bloodsuckers in your life."

In an earlier statement, Rodrigo wrote that Guts as a whole "is about growing pains and trying to figure out who I am at this point in my life." She continued, "I feel like I grew 10 years between the ages of 18 and 20 — it was such an intense period of awkwardness and change. I think that's all just a natural part of growth, and hopefully the album reflects that."

Rodrigo revealed in another statement that she wrote the majority of the new album at age 19 (she is now 20), "a year that, for me, was filled with lots of confusion, mistakes, awkwardness & good old fashioned teen angst."

"Drivers License," the lead single off Sour, topped the Billboard Hot 100 upon its release. And last June, Sour became the longest-running debut record this century to remain in Billboard 200's top 10 for more than 52 weeks. Rodrigo, whose career launched when she starred in Disney shows Bizaardvark and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, also won three Grammys last year for Best New Artist, Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Pop Vocal Album.

Guts is out September 8.