Olivia Rodrigo has performed a tender rendition of ‘Guts’ highlight, ‘Vampire’, on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.
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The pop heavyweight appeared on Colbert on Monday night (December 18), performing the track surrounded by microphone props, and reducing her vocal delivery from her signature belt to a more vulnerable, whispery tone. Backed only by a piano and a string quartet, the latest rendition of the track sees Rodrigo’s vocals taking centrestage.
Watch Olivia Rodrigo perform ‘Vampire’ on ‘Colbert’ below:
Rodrigo’s performance on Colbert is the latest in a string of appearances she has made on American television to promote her sophomore album, ‘Guts’. Earlier this month, she appeared on Saturday Night Live to perform a stage-wrecking, cake-smearing rendition of ‘All-American Bitch’. She also appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in October, performing ‘Ballad Of A Homeschooled Girl’ both in front of a band and behind the dashboard of Jimmy Kimmel’s car, as she carpooled with the host and his kids on their way to school.
‘Guts’ earned an enthusiastic, five-star review from NME, with Sophie Williams praising the 20-year-old’s maturity since her 2021 debut. “Here, she offers blunt self-analysis while reflecting on wider cultural ideas of performance and swallowing anger in order to comply with the wants and needs of others,” she wrote. “It works as a display of real power, range and versatility – all of which Rodrigo possesses in abundance.”
It eventually landed on the number two spot of NME’s best albums of 2023 list, alongside fellow acts including Caroline Polachek, Young Fathers, Troye Sivan, Paramore and Boygenius.
Williams once again wrote about the album, praising its honest coming-of-age portrayal, writing: “This outlook was wrought through adrenaline-pumping guitar passes and the occasional screamed vocal; she righteously chose to indulge in her own intensity, and celebrated herself for doing so.”
The ‘Get Him Back’ singer was also recently the recipient of Variety’s Storyteller of the Year award. In her acceptance speech, she opened up about the immense pressure she faced following the success of her debut album, ‘Sour’. “I had so many voices in my head and I felt so much pressure to please everyone with the music I was making,” she stated.
“I found that just simply showing up to create something everyday, even if I didn’t feel extremely inspired, was what pulled me out of that dread and made me start to get really excited about the music I was making.”
In a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, Rodrigo admitted that some songs from ‘Sour’ no longer resonated with her as strongly. “Some of them I don’t really love so much anymore,” she said. “People get so sad because it’ll be their favourite song. But I just feel like I’ve grown out of some of them.”