Olivia Rodrigo covers the latest issue of V Magazine, with a great interview by Bowen Yang, arguably the funniest guy on Saturday Night Live these days. It might seem like a strange fit, but it works because Bowen is an “elder Swifty” (his words) and he sees the same thing in Olivia. They had an interesting conversation about pop music and whether it’s just for “white girls” and how Olivia tapped into the teenage zeitgeist. You can read the full piece here. Some highlights:
Olivia on Taylor Swift: “I’ve really just looked up to her since I was very young. I think her writing every single one of her songs was a big inspiration for me. I take songwriting the most seriously out of any career that I have. It’s just so important to me. And I think that’s sort of the same with her. She’s just obviously brilliant at it. And it’s just so cool to also be in a place in my career where people who I’ve looked up to for a really long time suddenly become my peers.”
She’s a Fauci fangirl: “I am a fangirl for Dr. Fauci. Hell yeah. I’m stanning him. He’s incredible. I was so starstruck to meet him. It was crazy.
Going to the Biden White House: “It was crazy. It was the most surreal experience I’ve had in the last year. And I’ve had some really surreal experiences in the last year. The White House, is incredible. You just walk into this place with so much history and it’s just a museum. And they’re like, “Oh, there’s George Washington’s sword over there.”… It was incredible and obviously I went for a really great cause. It’s so important that people at my age are getting vaccinated and it was really awesome that they lent me their platform. And I lent mine. I guess we kind of worked together to spread that message. It was a really meaningful moment for me. And, obviously, I got to meet the president of the United States.
On pop music: “There’s this pressure for young women in pop music. And it’s like this thing where you’re only successful if you’re under 30. I’ve always resented that because I think I’m just going to get better with age. You know what I mean? I’m just going to become a better songwriter and know what I want to say more…I think that’s actually a really fun, exciting part of being in the space that I’m really encouraged to sort of have different eras and reinvent yourself. And I think that’s so much fun, and I am so inspired by so many different genres of music.”
Existing as a pop star & a Filipino-American: “I think we share a lot in that sort of space, and that’s incredible to think about. I sometimes get DMs from little girls being like, “I’ve never seen someone who looked like me in your position.” And I’m literally going to cry. Like just thinking about it. I feel like I grew up never seeing that. Also it was always like, “Pop star,” that’s a white girl.
What excites her next: “Honestly, I literally just turned 18, so there are so many normal teenage things that I’m really excited to do. There’s so much in life that I have to learn and so many experiences to be had. So I’m honestly most excited for that. I love growing up. I feel like I get happier with age, so hopefully that’s a trend that continues.”
I do think Olivia will have a Taylor Swift-esque career in the sense of writing her own confessional/narrative-driven songs and yes, some blind-item songs too, and she’ll really play into that “girl at a piano” pop stardom. A la Fiona Apple, Tori Amos, Alicia Keys, etc. It will be interesting to see how Olivia’s tours go once we get in a place where artists can really start touring again. She’s excited for it. As for Olivia being Filipino-mixed… she’s right that pop music is really dominated by white women. Bowen refers to her as “Asian” at one point and she didn’t dispute that, so I guess she does identify as an Asian-American.
Covers courtesy of V Magazine.
Damn, I actually had no idea. Just based on her name and appearance, I thought she was part Latina part white. It makes a lot of sense now though. Generally speaking, Filipinos are incredibly talented musically. Bruno Mars and Enrique Iglesias are also part Filipino. She’s beautiful as well.
That’s a strange comment. Lots of people are very talented musically, regardless of ancestry.
Of course talent, beauty and genius exists everywhere! There isn’t anything remotely critical about any group of people or ethnicity in my comment. Face palm. If you have ever been to the Philippines or been around a lot of Filipinos in your life, you would understand what I am getting at when I say that they are incredibly naturally musically inclined as a people.
Just because you think you’re being complimentary doesn’t mean you’re not saying something racist.
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The Philippines were under Spanish rule so many of its citizens have spanish names.
I actually thought she physically looked “white” (slightly ethnic-looking maybe, but that’s about it). I realize a lot of Filipinos are mixed, but I would not have have guessed she was part Filipino (I’m assuming she’s biracial?) Maybe not even Latina despite the last name. I’m not sure if she’s someone I’d think about often so maybe that was why I made such a too swift judgement, but at a brief glance I assumed she was white.
I guess I actually learned something new about a celebrity today.
I’m pretty sure Beyonce , Jlo, Whitney Houston and the first two where the top of the pop charts not that long ago. Now if she meant there are not any hapa women that would be more accurate . Michelle Branch is the only women of partial Asian ancestry I can think of on the pop charts at one time. Isn’t this girl getting sued for lifting taylor Swifts songs and passing them off as her own ? She seems inauthentic for some reason
You should look into her paying royalties to multiple people. It’s actually ridiculous, and there are some really good articles about the absurdity of it.
I saw a video where they showed the similarities between her song and Paramore’s song…and then they showed how it also matched a Taylor Swift song, and a Green Day song! The said in year the Paramore song came out, 78 other songs on the Top 100 had the same chord progression!
The point was that there are certain sounds (chord changes, etc.) in music that are prevalent because that’s what the human ear is drawn too. Certain chords make us scared, some get us pumped up, and some make us feel euphoric. Within those parameters, people can add their details through lyrics and melody, but the structure that supports those aspects will be much the same. Because it works.
Tiffany, you explained it better than I could!
Tiffany:
I first heard that song when she was performing on a recent award show and thought it was Paramore live remix. I was very confused when I walked into our living room and saw her on the screen instead.
The similarities are more than just chord progressions. The vocalizations, cadence, notes and melodies are very similar.
There’s a reason she modified the credits for that song.
I get being influenced by other artists, sampling and all that but if you’re copying almost every component in a song except for the lyrics…you might as well call it a cover song and credit the original artist.
I do think she has a lovely voice.
The video I watched was very advanced and explained it far better than I could.
There IS a reason she modified the credits. Recent court rulings on other songs open up nearly everything to litigation. It’s easier to just give credit. I know some people who are top professionals in music, and they have said that it’s really troubling that juries that don’t understand music are being asked to rule on these issues. It’s very complex.
Maybe she was referring to teenaged popstars. As someone who grew up in the late 90’s/ early 2000’s I remember when there were a bunch of blonde “Teen Queens” who were all the rage…Britney, Christina Augilera, etc. And then a decade later, Taylor Swift broke out. OTOH, Jennifer Lopez was in her late 20’s when her music career took off. Beyonce of course, was a teenager in Destiny’s Child, but was in her 20’s when her solo career started.
I don’t think it’s inaccurate to say that white girls have generally been considered more “wholesome”, marketable, etc. I’m glad that things are changing and that young girls of color have more representation.
Tbh she’s a white girl and she’s trying to get points as ‘I’m not a white girl’ by bringing her being Filipino up.
Her life is still easy breezy white. I feel like when white passing pop stars say this I smh cuz they’re trying to get points for not being white even though they are white AF looking.
I’ll be impressed when a Normani becomes a pop star or a Hayley K becomes a pop star. You’re white but you don’t want to be treated like it. We get it.
Exactly! Not denying Olivia’s heritage, but she is 100% white passing. Let’s not also forget she is conventionally attractive with Eurocentric features and very slim.
She does not face the same difficulties or prejudices that many Filipinos or Asian Americans do at all. It’s one thing to be proud of your heritage but another to use it to gain extra brownie points for how hard your life has been because of the colour of your skin – which I doubt it has
Pop is for white girls? Janet, Bey & Rih would like to have a word.
Olivia Rodrigo and Meghan Markle are not white women, they’re just racially ambiguous biracial women. Racial ambiguity may have helped them in some situations using that as justification to deny or shame them for discussing their backgrounds would be problematic. That said, yes to less ambiguous pop stars like Hayley Kiyoko. I like how they did Olivia’s makeup here.
Thank you for this. I was typing something very similar. People need to stop with this “white passing” stuff. There are people who can pass as white–she and Meghan cannot. Agreed that the ambiguity can be a huge benefit, but I hate this attempt to pretend that these women (and I’ve said this for Meghan too) never face racism. You might not know what they’re mixed with, but you KNOW they aren’t white.
I can tell Meghan Markle is mixed at a first glance because her skin tone is a bit darker compared to the average white person’s (though not dark), but I’m not sure if I would guess that Olivia Rodrigo is mixed with Asian/Pacific Islander. Maybe I can see the Filipino part NOW, but I don’t think it would occur to me without being told. That doesn’t make her white, of course. But compared to someone else with a different appearance, I could see her having a slight advantage in the pop world.
What struggles did she have looking like she does in an industry where white passing mixed minorities are pushed to the top over full blood Native, Black and Asian people?
Does she really think Filipino women feel represented by her looks?
I don’t disagree that she would have an easier time than say, Normani (who was mentioned before), but that also doesn’t mean she had as easy of a time as someone who looks like Taylor Swift. Her last name likely makes most people automatically assume she is Latina.
White looking Latinas have no issues breaking through tho, only the ones visibly Black or Native.
She probably does have Hispanic blood as many people in the Philippines are mixed race as the country has long been under Spanish rule throughout history.
But I agree with Hikaru. As an Asian woman who grew up in a Filipino society, I didn’t even know Olivia was Asian until this article. She probably is very proud of her heritage as the Filipino community is beautifully tight knit, but I wouldn’t call her the trailblazer for young Filipinas looking for representation
Again, I’m not disagreeing. I’m an unambiguously black woman, so I’m not even comparing her to us. I’m just saying that it may not be totally true that there are “no issues breaking through” just because we don’t hear more about it.
Definitely not considering her a trailblazer. I think some of these comments just hit me because so many were calling Meghan “white passing” when she absolutely is not and looks just like my very black husband and daughters–and who, when in the right situation, gets all of the racial vitriol people can muster when they enter white spaces.
So many people commenting on how white she looks or that she “identifies as Asian- American” is so troubling… she is Filipino. She is Asian. There’s nothing to debate on it… End of story.
…but it DOES matter. The typical Filipina is almost entirely unrepresented in the mainstream ideals of pop or film stardom. Those celebs who have Filipino heritage and DO manage to break out are mostly mixed-race (Nicole Scherzinger, Vanessa Hudgens, Darren Criss, Dave Bautista, Rob Schneider, etc etc).
You know what that communicated to me as a younger girl? That people WHO LOOK LIKE ME don’t belong in that world. That my looks aren’t enough on their own to be considered beautiful. I’m still trying to unlearn this lesson as an adult.
So YES, while I agree no one should be questioning her heritage in any way, it IS valid to have a discussion on whether her white-passing appearance has given her the opportunity to reach the level of success that she has.
Well said ! She doesn’t look like the average Filipino women or Asian woman for that matter. But undoubtedly she will be made the face of Filipino American beauty for a time especially if she works that angle . Itreminds me of representation for the last 2 decades or so for BW. Once we had Brandy, Whitney , and Toni Braxton. Unmistakably BW on the music front it was similar as far as actresses to Nia Long, Vivica Fox,Holy Robinson Peet. Now the bulk of the actresses playing BW are biracial and tend to more easily conform to Eurocentric beauty standards. All of black female pop stars are as light as possible ;Beyonce,Alicia Keys ( Who is biracial) and Rhianna . Darker Black female musical acts are pushed to the margins .
I wouldn’t dispute her ethnic identity, but she does lean towards looking more white like some some biracial people do. I suppose that’s why it surprised me that she’d see herself as unable to be a pop star based on appearance. If she had said she didn’t see herself as a pop star because she didn’t have the right sound or because of something musically-related, that would have made more sense.
I’ve followed her rise over the last year or so and this is the first time I’ve ever seen it mentioned in a mainstream article that she’s half-Filipina. I’m happy she’s finding success, but the convo and her quotes come off feeling like the industry is reaching to elevate her for something she hasn’t even concerned herself with.
I’m all for bringing nuance into the multiracial conversation, but this ain’t it. She’s 100% white passing. I see Filipinos being like wait what she’s filipina? All the time. You’re a special kind of white passing if not even your own people recognise you as their own.
Also, I’m not here for her trying to make herself a trailblazer by disrespecting the women that came before her. Whitney, Mariah, and Janet would like a word with you if you think you’re the first woman of color singing, girl.
The only Asian-Americans who look Asian, that have successful commercial music careers, are in Korea, NOT the US. This is the same for Asian-Canadians, Australians, and British.
If you look Asian and live in a white-dominated Western country and want a successful music career, you have to go East. I think classical music is the only exception to that.
If Olivia wasn’t white passing, she would be trying out for K-Pop.