Olivia Rodrigo didn’t get to go to prom, so she staged one herself and invited all of us along for the ride. The singer-songwriter’s Sour Prom concert film, which debuted late Tuesday night (June 29), finds Rodrigo waxing heartbroken, as she performs numerous cuts from her debut record, Sour, with a flashy, vibrant prom as a contrasting backdrop. Songs like “enough for you,” “jealousy, jealousy,” and “traitor” carry poignant weight; Rodrigo, now 18, seems to not only close a chapter of sorrow but her childhood, as well.
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Directed by Kimberly Stuckwisch and Toby L, Sour Prom wraps the viewer in the whirlwind of emotions. From the start, when Rodrigo hops in the limousine, a psychedelic, pink-splashed world builds and swirls around her—and it’s not always present, later popping up at the prom when she wanders through the halls of high school. Produced by Ian Blair, Valerie Bush, and Josh Connolly, with the production company Up The Game, in Association with Geffen Records and Invisible Inc, the nearly 30-minute experience gives Rodrigo’s catalog a vital punch.
Promised as “the ultimate prom experience,” Sour Prom embodies the spirit of endless possibilities, particularly when you’ve graduated high school and head off into the world. With musical direction from Aron Forbes and Derek Renfroe, Rodrigo once again cements her status as pop’s shining new star.
In promotion of the event, Rodrigo came under fire from rock icon Courtney Love, most known as Hole frontwoman, who claimed a promotional photo shoot ripped off the band’s Live Through This artwork. “Stealing an original idea and not asking permission is rude. There’s no way to be elegant about it. I’m not angry. It happens all the time to me,” Love reportedly wrote in a comments section on Facebook, per Pitchfork. “But this was bad form. That’s not bullying or bomb throwing. This persons music has nothing to do with my life. Possibly never will. It was rude. And I have every right to stick up for my work. Don’t gatekeep me! I’m honorable as fuck to my fellow artists, and I expect the same.”
In May, Sour bowed at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 295,000 equivalent album units. As reported by The New York Times, the album returned to the summit this week, scooping up another 105,000 units and bringing the total to more than one million. It has officially been certified platinum in the U.S. by the RIAA.
