It’s a balmy summer night in New York City, and Madison Square Garden is a pulsing sea of energy. Olivia Rodrigo is a name known all too well in the world of pop now but until very recently, well like a few years ago, it wasn’t being chanted by 20k young girls covered in glitter and rocking those chunky Doc Martens. The breakout star of 2021 has now secured what might’ve been the last spot on the superstar strip of pop.
Where do we even start? There’s just so much to unpack, you remember the time when a song would be requested on the radio so many times that it just became a go-to number of the year for the rest of us as well? I mean, you can argue that it still happens with TikTok, Instagram Reels and whatnot, but we’re talking the entire length of a song that put that lucky (and talented) artist on the popstar pedestal.
Not the 30-second relatable verse’s sped-up version behind a shot of someone pouring their coffee. While Liv is no stranger to the power of 30-second exposure, hell she owes half her career to it, she’s less likely to have much fresh competition, not at her level at least.
The Rise Of Popstar Olivia Rodrigo
Somehow if you’ve been living under a rock since the pandemic and just stretching out, here’s a recap for you. So three years ago, this little singer girl from Disney put in a verse of an original song she wrote about a bad breakup on her TikTok.
Then TikTok did its thing and the touching lyrics of the song did theirs, give it a couple months and that girl is breaking Spotify records with the same song. The 17-year-old Rodrigo made history with her song as the youngest solo artist ever to debut at number one, can’t help but state, that’s just ‘So American’ of her.
What then? the ‘Drivers License’ turned into a hit debut album ‘Sour’ which turned into a hit tour and then Rodrigo released her second studio album ‘Guts’. She’s touring for it now and ‘Guts World Tour’ is definitely a revolutionary one.
We’ve all seen those polls comparing Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift raising the question of if she’s copying the pop princess Tay. Well, there’s only one thing I’ve got to say to them, copying Taylor Swift is no easy task, and taking a look at Liv’s fans and shows, she’s taken the hard road.
A Fragmented Industry
Olivia’s second studio album and her hit world tour settled one debate, she’s no high-tide riding star. She remains a rare gem in a rapidly shifting musical landscape, earning her spotlight with her talent. Now While Liv is basking in that shimmery light, a question is creeping up the industry, is she the last to ever get the taste of that kind of fame?
We’ve had many break-out artists in the last decades but few have managed to make it into the mega-stardom Billie Elish and Olivia Rodrigo has. Why is that? Is it just about the talent or there’s another factor involved?
In an era defined by streaming platforms and endless content, Rodrigo’s rocket-like ascent really takes us back to the glory days of pop. Music bigwigs are practically sweating bullets as they look at the hurdles today’s up-and-comers have to jump.
It’s like, everyone’s attention is scattered all over the place with so many entertainment options out there. Getting to the top and staying there? Seems like catching lightning in a bottle.
Mark Mulligan, the brains over at Midia, is calling for a big shake-up in the music biz. He’s noticing how tough it is for artists these days. A breakout star drought is what the Financial Times termed this period. The old guard, like radio, used to be the gatekeepers to stardom, but now it’s a whole new ball game. Labels are like sailors lost at sea, trying to helm this wild ocean of digital noise Gen Z likes to keep at the soundtrack to their life.
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The Global Music Landscape
Go spare a glance at Spotify’s global chart—it’s like a map of music’s ever-changing landscape. You’ve still got your, Taylor Swifts, Miley Cyruses and Beyoncés holding strong, but what’s really cool is how it’s opening up to artists from all over.
From Chilean reggaeton stars to Korean pop sensations, it’s like a musical world tour right there on your screen. With a wrap at the end of the year, I won’t make the mistake of starting about their new ways of introducing new artists to you every other month.
But this isn’t just about hearing new beats, it’s a sign of how the whole music scene is shifting. With listeners calling the shots, record labels are feeling the heat to shake things up. They’ve gotta figure out how to spot and nurture talent in a world where everyone’s connected and music knows no borders. It’s like the Wild West out there but with beats instead of tumbleweeds.
The Exception
In the whirlwind of complex numbers going up and down in the west, the eastern superstars are getting closer to the grand stage. We have all seen the way BTS, SEVENTEEN and other K-pop acts have skyrocketed to fame globally in the last few years of the past decade. It proves just how irresistible this genre is, and also very new to half of West’s audience.
And check this out, Universal Music Group teaming up with HYBE (BTS’s Management). It’s like the music world saying, ‘Okay, K-pop, you’ve got our attention.’ This partnership is all about seeing the massive potential of K-pop, C-pop, and J-pop showing that the future of music is all about crossing borders and pushing boundaries together. A whole new chapter of global music magic unfolding before our ears, what hasn’t this generation witnessed? War? Well, who knows, it might be around the corner.
The Last Superstar Of Pop
In this tech-savvy, culturally diverse era we’re reeling in right now, the road to stardom is a wild ride. Up-and-comers gotta master the digital platforms while also staying true to themselves, just enough to evoke relatability, not too much though, we still have the cancel culture full in motion. They have to weave authenticity and originality into their sound to carve out their own place in the music scene.
Olivia Rodrigo is nothing short when it comes to being a pop star but her triumph isn’t just about her talent. It’s like she’s capturing the spirit of the times, a moment where the music breaks barriers and hits us right in the feels, you know the kinda thing Taylor Swift nails with her each album. If Tay was one of those new artists, she would’ve broken the charts 13 times around just to keep the stressed executives relaxed (or maybe not).
As the music biz sails through these uncharted waters, the big question lingers: is Olivia Rodrigo a one-of-a-kind phenomenon? Well we’ve given the data to you, what do you think? How many break-out stars have you seen since her who are raking in Grammys and playing sold-out shows? You can keep morphing but we’re gonna say one thing’s for sure, the hunt for pop’s next big thing has never been more complex or nuanced.
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