STACK #260 June 2026

MUSIC FEATURE

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We’re living in a world where two of the biggest pop stars are named Olivia – Olivia Rodrigo and Olivia Dean. The first great pop star named Olivia? Australia’s own Olivia Newton-John, who starred in Grease , won four Grammy Awards, and had five number one singles in the US. Liv it up

Another inspiration was Sex and the City – Olivia’s favourite show – particularly Miranda and Steve’s relationship. The star smiles when she recalls Miranda telling Steve: “Whenever something funny happens, I always want to tell you about it.” “I knew I wanted this record to be about romantic love in more of a positive sense because my last two, obviously, were a little heartbroken and angsty, as they should be,” Olivia continues. “So, I knew I wanted to write some kind of love songs.” But the key takeaway from the record? Love won’t necessarily fix you. “You’re getting to the core of all of your issues,” Olivia remarks about falling in love. “How you feel about yourself,

CHART FACT

Olivia’s first two studio albums – 2021’s Sour and 2023’s Guts – both hit number one in Australia, the US, and UK. Her 2025 live album, Live from Glastonbury , hit number 11 in Australia. She has also had eight Top 10 singles, including four chart toppers.

Sad songs say so much. Olivia Rodrigo returns with her third studio album. but glad Sad Sad songs say so much.

Explaining the title, the 23-year old American artist said, “No matter how hard I try to write love songs they always come out laced with a little melancholy.” She expanded

your insecurities, what makes you joyful. It feels like the most raw form of you, which is so scary and terrifying and uncomfortable, sometimes, but beautiful at times. “The second I’m in a really great relationship [I feel] I’m gonna start feeling good about myself and this stuff is going to fall into place, but it just doesn’t work like that.” But then again, Olivia Rodrigo is also

Olivia says the album’s first single, Drop Dead – which topped the charts in Australia, the US and UK - was “the first chapter”, documenting a “really awesome first date”. “The journey definitely ebbs and flows and goes in lots of different places from here.” DROP DEAD

on the album’s content, calling them “sad love songs”. “I realised all my favourite romantic love songs were beautiful because they had a tinge of fear or yearning in them,” she told Vogue . Sonically, Olivia says she wanted to capture the melancholic vibe

I n April, the words “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love” were spraypainted on a pink wall on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. It was soon revealed that this was the title of Olivia Rodrigo’s eagerly awaited third studio album, the follow-up to 2023’s Guts . It was expected

that the star would go for another four-letter title (her debut was Sour ). Many fans Sou

were tipping “Luck”, but Olivia went for something else entirely. The title came

about when the singer was chatting with her producer, Dan Nigro, about her relationship. He reflected, “Oh, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love.”

You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love by Olivia Rodrigo is out Jun 12 via Universal

of The Cure’s Lovesong and Lana Del Rey’s Video Games .

pretty happy that she’s so in love. Jeff Jenkins

Love story

Olivia’s boyfriend is British actor Louis Partridge. And she loves London. “I’ve found a lot of inspiration from being in London. I’ve spent so much time here over the course of making this album. It has a lot of songs that are London vibes, about experiences that I’ve had here.”

Louis Partridge

JUNE 2026

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