I was not expecting to like her music. I watched High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, and she's great on it, but the original songs that she performed in that show were very much in line with a Disney produced artist. But, this is not the music of a Disney girl in the best possible way.
This is an album of someone who already knows who they are as an artist, without interference. I think the smartest career decision she's made yet has been to not sign with Disney's record label but with Interscope Records, and the proof is in the pudding. She swears! Can't do that as a Disney artist.
This is the kind of honest pop album that I like. There's storytelling, fun, personality, and it's not overly earnest or saccharine that feels empty. I feel the emotion, her longing, anger, grief, self-awareness, and her sense of humor. For a debut album to be this self-assured is a remarkable feat.
I know one of the big talking points about Olivia Rodrigo is that she's a fan and student of Taylor Swift. But she's more than just that one influence. From the album it's like she learned from the great female singer-songwriters of the late 20th century and (especially early) Paramore, among other influences. I want to know who else she listens to besides Taylor, so more questions about that please press people.
