Behold, pop queen Olivia Rodrigo.
The 18-year-old singer-songwriter's success cannot be overstated, and in a new interview with Bowen Yang for V Magazine, she opened up about everything from meeting Taylor Swift to her rapid growth as an artist.
When asked about how she navigates her existence as an Asian American musician, she opened up about how she's been thrust into being a role model for young girls.
"I sometimes get DMs from little girls being like, 'I’ve never seen someone who looked like me in your position,'" she shared. "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."
The "Good 4 U" singer was also candid about the ageism facing young women artists in the music industry: "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," she said. "I’ve always resented that because I think I’m just going to get better with age."
Olivia continued, "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 myself to sort of have different eras and reinvent yourself."
The teen star also opened up about genre versatility, saying that she's inspired by everything from country to rock — although pop is clearly her favorite. "In 2021, I feel like artists aren’t really boxed into a genre anymore. I look at someone like Billie Eilish, who I’m so obsessed with, and her music is like pop, but it’s kind of rock, too."
