Sour – Olivia Rodrigo (Album of the Year)

Olivia Rodrigo, a rising actor and singer, released her highly anticipated debut album, “Sour” in May of 2021. This album’s story is fascinating, as it gained popularity because it was successful largely on TikTok, where people used her songs so frequently she became a sensation before her full album was even released. This album is complex and raw, telling the story of grief over a past relationship. The songs encapsulate how feelings can evolve throughout the breakup, with sadness, overwhelming anger, and a newfound understanding of why the relationship failed. “Sour” has made a new record for having the biggest opening week as a female artist in global Spotify history, with 385 million streams within the first seven days of release.

The song “driver’s license” was her first release on the album, and became a sensation on social media. The song “deja vu” also became one of the most well-known on the album. This song focuses on the feelings of jealousy Rodrigo experiences after a breakup when she sees an ex-partner as they move on, and have the same experiences with a new person. This feeling is expressed well in the lyrics, “So when you gonna tell her we did that, too?/ She thinks it’s special, but it’s all reused.”