Olivia Rodrigo is bigger on her third album

I do not know if it was the first time that it happened. Must check if there are existing stats about it. But first ever or not, though, what happened just made Olivia Rodrigo a bigger star and also one of today’s best songwriters.

This is due to the fact that Rodrigo has released three No. 1 selling albums these past five years and each one came with a No. 1 selling first single.

Remember, back in 2021, when Rodrigo was only 18 years old, she released her debut album “Sour,” which made No. 1 in the charts. That one came with the phenomenally popular first single titled Drivers License, which also became No. 1.

Two years later, Rodrigo brought out the daring “GUTS,” which again became No. 1 and which also had a No. 1 selling first single Vampire.

It is now 2026, three years later and Rodrigo’s new album is out. It is titled “You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl so in Love.”

From one word titles in her first two, she went into a long story-driven one for her third. That was all that changed though. Her third outing also became No. 1 and has a No. 1 selling first single in Drop Dead.

What is also remarkable is that aside from having hurdled the fabled sophomore jinx with “GUTS,” Rodrigo seems to have sailed smoothly towards her third album with nary a hitch.

You see, a newcomer releases a hit first album and he or she gets celebrated everywhere. Then preparations begin for the second release.

Olivia Rodrigo’s new album is out. It is titled ‘You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl so in Love.’ From one-word titles in her first two, she went into a long story-driven one for her third. Her third outing also became No. 1 and has a No. 1 selling first single in Drop Dead.

Everybody is hoping it will be a hit. If it is, then, great. Goodbye, sophomore jinx. If it is not, then the artist gets tagged a one-hit-wonder until he or she produces another hit album, which sometimes never happens.

Rodrigo passed all those with flying colors. To top it all, despite that long and awkward sounding title, “You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl so in Love” is definitely her best.

First off, there is her singing. It has this youthful softness, yet shows surprising sureness and strength throughout.

Then for the content. The diarist approach is still there. Here is a girl filling her diary with her secrets and dreams. But Rodrigo is now older and her growing sophistication shows maturity in both her music and lyric writing.

The album can be divided into two parts. The first part led by the breezy Drop Dead, followed by Stupid Song and then the sweet Honeybee take on the beginning of a relationship. “Kiss me and I’ll drop dead.”

By the time she gets to the second part with The Cure, Begged and What’s Wrong with Me, a collab with Robert Smith of the post punk rocker The Cure, she has become the pretty sad and so in love girl of the title experiencing intense emotions.

Rodrigo mostly sets her stories against music that is sometimes a bit grungy, but with more of a late ‘80s alt-rock feel. The outcome is a kind of pop that is her very own.

Then as though she wants to hark back to her Disney roots as the star of the TV series “High School Musical,” she surprises with this achingly sad ballad Less.

No need to worry though that Rodrigo will stay sad and in love but broken hearted. By the time she cranks up the pounding Expectations, she is casing guys and thinking of her future husband.

This early, I am already thinking of two or three years hence and wondering what this extraordinarily talented Olivia Rodrigo will bring out next.

Aren’t we all proud she is part-Filipino.