Olivia Rodrigo almost cut one of the most iconic and most memorable lines from her latest hit song, “vampire.”
In a new interview with Audacy’s The Julia Show, Rodrigo revealed that “It was actually a debate whether or not ‘fame f—er’ should be in the song” because it’s “not relatable.”
The chorus of the song calls Rodrigo’s ex-lover (reportedly Zack Bia, who also dated pop star Madison Beer previously) “bloodsucker,” “fame f—er,” and “vampire.”
“Some people said, ‘It kind of isolates you from people; you can’t really say stuff like that in songs if it’s not relatable,’ yada, yada, yada, which I totally get, and I saw where they were coming from,” Rodrigo said.
READ MORE: Madison Beer Thanks Olivia Rodrigo for Surge in Streams
She continued, “I think the song isn’t about fame f—ing or whatever, I think it’s more about someone being manipulative and sucking you dry, using you for all your worth. I think that that’s a universal theme, and I also think fame is more easily accessible now than it has ever been. It’s not just people in L.A. and Hollywood that have to deal with that.”
Rodrigo shared that she decided to use “vampire” as the lead single from her upcoming sophomore album, Guts, because it’s the best transition from Sour, her smash hit, Grammy-nominated first album.
“I looked through all the songs we had, and I think it’s not completely so far out of left field when you look at Sour and all the things we did there, but I also think it’s a step forward and kind of hints at everything that’s to come in the next album,” she explained.
Of the upcoming album, Rodrigo added, “I feel like I grew 10 years between the ages of 18 and 20—it was such an intense period of awkwardness and change. I think that’s all just a natural part of growth, and hopefully, the album reflects that.”
Growth is one thing that fellow artist Beer picked up on after listening to “vampire,” which she recently said helped boost her own streams on songs that are allegedly about Bia.
“F—ing beautiful. Truly think it’s so special and showcases her growth so amazingly. Really really impressive,” Beer tweeted.
In a recent TikTok video, Rodrigo also jokingly revealed some alternate clean versions of the song, trying everything from “whale blubber” to “garlic butter” in place of “fame f—er.”