Olivia Rodrigo Says Lorde’s ‘Pure Heroin’ Inspired Her
Olivia Rodrigo attends The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" Los Angeles Premiere at TCL Chinese Theatre on November 13, 2023 in Hollywood, California. Recording artist Lorde attends MusiCares Person of the Year honoring Fleetwood Mac at Radio City Music Hall on January 26, 2018 in New York City.
In a new feature released by The Hollywood Reporter on the first day of 2024, Olivia Rodrigo, Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish, and other songwriters gathered around to go “Off Script” with each other. The songwriters met up back in November for the feature, with Eilish previously admitting that she thought her music career was over prior to landing a gig for writing a song for the Barbie soundtrack.
Now, in new footage from their conversation, Rodrigo says she got her first cell phone at 12 or 13 years old. The first album she downloaded was Lorde’s debut, Pure Heroine, which was released in 2013. “I love that record so much,” Rodrigo said. When she first started writing songs, she would listen to the award-winning album inspired by the New Zealand artists’ lyrics. Hearing “Royals” for the first time on the radio, a young Rodrigo said the new sound was something that completely changed her life. Relating to her upbringing as a teenager in the suburbs, the “driver’s license” singer found the mundane things to be “beautiful” and “sacred.” She praises the “Stoned at the Nail Salon” singer, adding, “She still inspires me a lot to this day.” Elsewhere in the conversation, Rodrigo said her first song was written on the piano when she was 14 or 15 years old as a “feminist anthem.” The song was titled “Superman” because she didn’t want or need a “superman” to save her.
With the Hunger Games prequel released back in November, Rodrigo “reinvented” herself in writing the song “Can’t Catch Me Now.” When tasked with limiting her ideas to writing from the perspective of the main character, Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), Rodrigo found it easier to think outside of the box. To wrap up the interview, everyone shared their go-to karaoke song. Rodrigo was prepared with her answer: “Dancing Queen” by ABBA.
Celebrities That Gained Most Online Fame in 2023
In today’s digital age, celebrity success relies heavily on online popularity. With this in mind, new research has revealed the famous faces who have seen the biggest boom in online fame in 2023. Online casino site ICE36 took at look at this. Taking in data from Google searches, Instagram followers, likes and engagement rates, they determined the celebrities who saw the greatest increase in online popularity in 2023. This group of celebrities consists of a diverse list of athletes, musicians, and actors.
Per Statista, in 2023, over 4.89 billion people were using social media worldwide, a number projected to increase to almost six billion in 2027. These users aren’t tied to a single platform. The average user now spreads their digital footprint across six to seven platforms every month, according to Forbes.
The average individual has about eight social media accounts. In the United States, the average person has seven accounts. In India the number is nearly twelve, while in Japan it nears four. On a global level, the average person spends about 145 minutes on social media. Americans average about two hours and seven minutes daily. To put this into perspective, if the average person maintained this usage over an average life span of 73 years, the end result is an astonishing 5.7 years spent on social media platforms.
As we previously reported, studies have shown time and again that social media has been linked to brain development changes in teenagers. Even the Surgeon General issued a warning of social media’s “profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.” Despite the possible negative effects of social media, which comes with anything used in excess, celebrities entertain their millions of followers. Whether they are plugging a new project they are working on or just being charismatic, these ten celebrities are the most popular online in 2023.
Laila Abuelhawa is the Top 40 and Hip-Hop pop culture writer for Beasley Media Group. Being with the company for over three years, Laila's fierce and fabulous red-carpet rankings have earned her a feature on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert!' Her favorite stories are those surrounding the latest in celebrity fashion, television and film rankings, and how the world reacts to major celebrity news. With a background in journalism, Laila's stories ensure accuracy and offer background information on stars that you wouldn't have otherwise known. She prides herself in covering stories that inform the public about what is currently happening and what is to come in the ever-changing, ever-evolving media landscape.
