Olivia Rodrigo took on the MTV Video Music Awards stage just days after the release of her sophomore album, GUTS. For her performance, Rodrigo played two of the most anthemic songs from the record, “vampire” and “get him back!”
Videos by American Songwriter
True to the VMA name, Rodrigo used her music videos as inspiration for the performance. Kicking things off with “vampire,” Rodrigo sang the opening verse amid a Twilight-esque meadow scene. Her vocals were as syrupy as they are on the recorded version of the track. She truly brought the music video to life by feigning technical difficulties.
In the Petra Collins-directed music video, Rodrigo suffers a head injury from a falling stage light. The moment was recreated on the VMA stage. Luckily though Rodrigo got out unscathed.
She was then ushered to another side of the stage where she performed her GUTS cut “get him back!” The music video for the punky track was shared today. The video sees a series of Rodrigo clones scheming on how to get her ex back. She used a series of look-a-like background dancers to get the same point across at the VMAs.
Rodrigo and her “clones” bounded around the stage, hitting the rousing chorus together. It was a powerful performance to help cap off Rodrigo’s stellar release week.
Rodrigo’s performance helped to open the show. She followed a similar crowd-pleasing performance from Lil Wayne.
Rodrigo is nominated for a number of awards at the VMAs. She is up for some of the most coveted awards of the night including Video of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop (which went to Taylor Swift), Best Cinematography, and Best Editing.
In a review of GUTS, American Songwriter wrote, “It’s a testament to Rodrigo’s songwriting. She manages to be true to herself (which means singing about things like fame and growing up in front of the world) while still allowing her fans to identify with the basic emotions behind those things: anxiety, heartbreak, and insecurity.”
Read the full review, HERE. Watch her performance below.
(Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for MTV)
