Image Source: Pitchfork
Pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo recently celebrated the release of her chart-topping album Sour with a YouTube live stream concert film entitled Sour Prom on Tuesday night. The 28-minute long video generated quite a buzz among fans and the online community as it gave viewers a taste of youth culture and prom nostalgia.
The album Sour was released in May as Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album, bearing the feels that merge heartbroken pop with a snide remark of revenge. The songs were relatable, especially to the younger generation of listeners. It came as no surprise when Sour became one of the biggest opening week albums by a woman on Spotify. Despite the raved reviews, the artist felt that she could do more, hence the production of Sour Prom.
Sour Prom opens with Olivia Rodrigo appearing in a cocktail dress heading toward a white limo that pulled in the front of her house in the suburbs. In the limo, she then delivers an intricate mash-up of “Deja Vu” and “Happier” from the backseat, accompanied by a guitar player. From the opening scene, audiences can see Olivia being somewhat torn and heartbroken. But as the video progresses, the singer arrives at the prom, launching into a thrash of “Brutal.”
As a child actress, Olivia Rodrigo already made waves in the entertainment industry after starring on the Disney+ series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, Disney Channel’s Bizaardvark, and the film An American Girl: Grace Stirs Up Success. But it wasn’t until she released her singles “Deja Vu” and “Drivers License” that she became a true pop superstar. Today, Olivia is known across the globe as one of the most prominent artists of her generation.
Although critics were never short on pointing out that Olivia Rodrigo does not have the strongest vocals, the singer makes up for it by engaging her listeners through the emotions behind her songs. Through Sour Prom, Olivia was able to showcase more of the story behind the lyrics of her hit singles. The concert film showcases the pop singer’s musical and emotional rage, choreographed to subtle perfection.
With proms also postponed because of the pandemic, viewers think the concert film was released at the perfect time. Sour Prom cements Olivia Rodrigos’s dominance further in 2021 as it turns her greatest hits into a visual journey, giving audiences a glimpse of high school culture.
Vulture recently released a review on Sour Prom: “‘Deja Vu’’ becomes a trippy limousine ballad; ‘Drivers License’ proves too sad even for the slow-dancers; and ‘Good 4 U’ gets the full marching band treatment on a football field. All that’s mission is the chaperone who confiscates a flask of vanilla vodka.”
Shortly after Sour Prom was released, it also sparked controversy after singer Courtney Love called out Olivia Rodrigo for “Stealing an original idea and not asking permission,” explaining that the concert film bears some similarities to the album art of Hole’s Live Through This.
Watch Sour Prom on YouTube.
Opinions expressed by NY Weekly contributors are their own.
