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Olivia Rodrigo dropped her long-awaited third studio album you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love <\/em>last Friday, cementing her as one of the top Gen Z pop-rock stars of the decade. The album has barely been out for longer than a weekend but it has already broken records, earning the highest first-day streaming numbers for an artist that debuting in the 2020s with 81.59 million global Spotify streams. It also is expected to be the biggest first-week sales of her career thus far. The project is Olivia at her most mature and most developed musically. At 23 years old, she has carved her own lane in the music industry and has delivered some of her most heartfelt and confessional lyrics with even more attitude than before.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n I have a rule when it comes to an artist earning a coveted spot on my list of cherished artists: in order to get to a place where your music can stand the test of time, you need to have delivered at least three strong albums in your discography. Three is the magic number because it\u2019s generally more songs than can fill an entire live show, and is just the right amount of albums where you can see the different flavours of an artist\u2019s artistic repertoire. A successful trio of albums is the key to helping an artist leave the \u201cnew artist\u201d limbo and avoid the \u201cflash in the pan\u201d long-term narrative.<\/p>\n Take Alanis Morrissette for example, an artist who has very clearly served as a big source of inspiration to Olivia. She just spoke to Canadian icon Nardwuar<\/a> about being 13 the first time she heard Jagged Little Pill, <\/em>and the two even shared the cover of Rolling Stone<\/em>\u2019s \u201cMusicians on Musicians\u201d<\/a> issue in 2021. Alanis only has about three commercially successful albums under her belt, but those records made such an impact, they have helped her sustain a strong live presence and longevity in the music industry. Olivia\u2019s officially gotten to her magic number \u2013 mark my words, she will be performing in arenas for the rest of her music career.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Another 90s icon who has influenced Olivia is Gwen Stefani. Olivia has specifically mentioned<\/a> Gwen\u2019s autobiographical songwriting style during her No Doubt days having a big impact on how she writes her music. Think Gwen when she was singing about wanting to be a mom and wishing \u201cfor a mistake\u201d in the song \u201cSimple Kind of Life\u201d.\u00a0 Olivia used her album release week to show that love<\/a> for Gwen and No Doubt specifically at the band\u2019s final show at the Sphere in Las Vegas on Saturday night. One of the signatures of their show is when Gwen picks someone from the audience to come onstage and give her a hug. Low and behold, Olivia was chosen as the final fan, complete with a big sign asking to be said fan and a No Doubt snapback hat. She also calls them the \u201cbest band in the world\u201d<\/a>, all while she herself has her own project to promote.<\/p>\n Next week, Chloe Bailey teams up with Timbaland for a new mixtape that is giving us all the Aaliyah vibes based off the teaser on her socials, and Tyla drops the latest single from her upcoming record A*POP<\/em>. This week, it\u2019s an Olivia Rodrigo frenzy with a few extra additions by LE SSERAFIM with ILLIT and KATSEYE, BTS and Travy with Elzzz and Fred Again\u2026plus, an 80s hit is going viral thanks to a 2010 kids movie. You read that correctly.<\/p>\n Listen on\u2026<\/p>\n MC\u2019s PICKS OF THE WEEK<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cstupid song\u201d by Olivia Rodrigo<\/strong><\/p>\n I love a reference to a stupid love song in an angsty pop tune. Kelly Clarkson famously sang that she \u201ceven fell for that stupid love song\u201d in \u201cSince U Been Gone\u201d. The music video is a ballet dream, with ballerinas surrounding her. Some fans in the comments seem to believe that the ballerinas represent the butterflies you feel in your stomach when you are falling in love. It definitely would make sense given the sense of longing Olivia is singing about.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a pretty intense song that amplifies the helplessness you can feel when a crush feels like it\u2019s taking over your soul. It\u2019s a fun song with a pop melody but an emotional lyric that many of us can relate to. I don\u2019t know about you, but I\u2019ve definitely wanted someone so badly that not even a piece of music can put the feeling into words. Sometimes those feelings may lead to nothing in the end but that doesn\u2019t mean that it\u2019s going to change how bad you want the person, and Olivia seems to get it. Thanks girl.<\/p>\n