‘Sour’ by Olivia Rodrigo Becomes Best Album Debut of 2021
On May 21, 2021, Olivia Rodrigo released her 11-track album, Sour, which quickly become the biggest album debut of 2021. Although this was the 18-year-old’s first album, nine of the eleven songs were placed in the top 10 of Rolling Stone’s Top 100 Songs, and to no surprise “Good 4 U” sat at number one with a total of 468,100 song units. Despite Rodrigo’s few years of experience, this isn’t the only record she’s broken, on January 11 her single “Drivers License” was awarded the most Spotify streams in a single week, with a total of 65,873,080.
Me vibing to Taylor Swift when i was 11 and me vibing to Olivia Rodrigo now pic.twitter.com/8BiW25JTXH
— Gargi (@doesntmatteryaa) June 3, 2021
For anyone unfamiliar with Rodrigo, her career began as a child actor on the Disney show Bizaardvark, playing the role of Paige Olvera for a total of three seasons. As this opportunity concluded, she received a position to play the lead role in the Disney Plus show High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. This series sparked Rodrigo’s fame due to her unmatched singing talent, and the special connection shared between her character Nina Salazar and Richard Bowen, who was played by Joshua Bassett.
Their relationship caught the fan’s attention as soon as they noticed their feelings towards each other were not just displayed on the screen, but also hidden behind the camera. As a result, the couple’s publicity witnessed a huge increase, and even more when they decided to break up. Rodrigo’s heartbreak motivated the release of “Drivers License” and immediately became a fan favorite due to the relatable lyrics and internal emotions exposed in the song. According to many, this launched Rodrigo’s career and fanbase which was highlighted by her overwhelming support of Sour, leading her loyal audience to break the album debut of the year record.
Rodrigo’s new album debut forced Taylor Swift’s Fearless (Taylor’s Version) to step down to the second-best of 2021. But Rodrigo isn’t the only star to break records this week, even with this defeat, MRC Data claims Swift’s Evermore album broke a record of its own, becoming one of the biggest sales weeks for an album in the United States.
Taylivia= world domination 🥺🥺🙌🙌🥳🥳💛💛💛 https://t.co/P2Oeh2V4pN
— Love, Christa 💛💛 Fearless (Taylors Versions)🥺💛 (@PaperRingsTS13) June 2, 2021
As Rodrigo earns the title “pop’s brightest new star” after her outstanding album debut, it is noted her younger audience’s loyalty is to thank. Since they’re responsible for: “Deju Vu,” “Good 4 U,” “Traitor,” “Enough for You,” “Brutal,” “Happier,” “Drivers License,” “Favorite Crime,” “1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back,” “Jealousy, Jealousy,” and “Hope Ur Ok,” all making the top ten songs chart.
queenie behavior https://t.co/Eks0vTqUMM
— alli (@tedIassos) June 1, 2021
This past week has been filled with record-breaking news from the music industry, as fans continue to express their strong support for the young rising star, Rodrigo, and her new record-breaking album.
