Every musician knows that critical acclaim, number one hits, gold and platinum plaques, and measly Grammys mean absolutely nothing compared to the utterly sincere, irony-free, unexpectedly astute compliments of a child. Olivia Rodrigo got to experience this apex of pop stardom when she met one of her biggest fans, also named Olivia, on the YouTube series Recess Therapy.
If Olivia, the superfan, looks familiar, it’s because she went viral on a 2021 episode of Recess Therapy, in which she expressed her adoration for Rodrigo and proclaimed, “Part of me is Olivia Rodrigo, honestly.” The arrival of Guts presented the perfect opportunity for Olivia to meet Olivia, though in a hilarious twist Olivia the younger didn’t quite realize who’d just walked into the room until being told it was Rodrigo herself.
In the episode, Olivia told Rodrigo that Guts was “one of the best albums you’ve come out with” (no arguments here) and added later, “You’re one of the coolest artists I’ve ever seen. And you were like the first one — like, I know there were other ones, but they were really, really childish and kiddie. But then I saw you, and I was like, this is will be the best artist in the world and I bet when I”m older I’ll meet her.”
The two Olivias also sang a bit of “Good 4 U” together, while Olivia the superfan proudly proclaimed she doesn’t cover her ears when Rodrigo swears in her music (but knows not to say those words herself). In undoubtedly the sweetest moment, Olivia pontificated profoundly on the impact Rodrigo’s music has had on her: “It makes me feel, like, stronger eery time I listen to it. Like, women and girls can do anything that they dream to. I feel like I can achieve more things that I would’ve done without listening to her songs.”
“I’m so happy that’s how it makes you feel,” Rodrigo replied.
Recess Therapy finds Rodrigo interacting with a few other interviewees as well. She does a bit of impromptu choreography with one kid, while with another, she gets into the nitty-gritty of love and heartbreak — and also discusses the importance of killing lanternflies.
Rodrigo released Guts earlier this month and is currently gracing the cover of Rolling Stone. In the extensive story, she discussed making Guts and avoiding a sophomore slump, as well as her love of Rage Against the Machine, being mentored by Katy Perry, and the “conspiracy theories” about her alleged feud with Taylor Swift. There was also a whole lot of stuff that didn’t make the original story, including a new movie idea Rodrigo has for Barbie director Greta Gerwig.