Olivia Rodrigo is opening up about the writing process of her sophomore album GUTS. During a recent interview with Variety, the Grammy winner shared, "The experience tested my confidence and patience. It taught me some important lessons about songwriting in terms of focusing on your craft rather than just waiting for inspiration to strike."

She continued, "You can never sit down at the piano and try to write something that everyone will like; that always results in a really bad song. It taught me that I write songs that I want to hear."

That approach clearly worked, as GUTS earned Rodrigo six Grammy nominations in 2024, which include some of the biggest categories at the awards show like Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance for her song "Vampire," Album of the Year, and Best Rock Song for "Ballad Of A Homeschooled Girl."

When asked what she hopes fans take away from the songs on her follow-up to 2021's SOUR, Rodrigo shared, "Honest songwriting. It’s what I’ve gravitated towards my whole life — music that helps you process what you’re feeling or comforts you when you’re feeling these big feelings. It’s just nice to know that someone else is experiencing them. It makes you feel less alone.”

Next year, Rodrigo will take GUTS on the road with her world tour launching on February 23rd in Palm Springs, CA.

Brittany Gonzalez