The Story Behind ‘Vampire’ By Olivia Rodrigo

Who or what is the inspiration behind “Vampire” by Olivia Rodrigo?

On June 13 the 20-year-old pop star announced the debut single off of her upcoming sophomore album, GUTS. Fans eagerly awaited for the track’s premiere at midnight EST on June 30. Dan Nigro, who produced her debut album, SOUR, produced the track which was co-written by Rodrigo.

Additionally, Rodrigo previewed the song including a telling line from the chorus, “Bleeding me dry like a goddamn vampire.” The cover art depicts her in black and white with two purple bandaids on her neck, like she was bitten by the vampire.

Sonically, the track sounds like it could have come right out of the Twilight Saga. The visuals also provide a telling story of Rodrigo’s failed romance.

Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Vampire’ Inspiration

Olivia Rodrigo pours her heart out on “Vampire,” singing about an older ex. She wrote the song in December 2022 and completed it in January 2023 alongside Nigro.

“I’ve just always been really obsessed with songs that are very dynamic,” she said of the single. “My favorite songs are high and low, and reel you in and spit you back out. And so we wanted to do a song where it just crescendoed the entire time and it reflects the pent-up anger that you have for a situation.”

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Olivia Rodrigo’s goal was to make something that “felt fresh,” while not “completely just diverging from everything that we did on the last album.”

She called “Vampire” a “natural progression” and “step forward” in her overall sound and music.

Fans speculated that the inspiration for the song could be about one of her former boyfriends. In 2020, it was reported that she began dating movie producer Adam Faze. At the time, there was roughly a six-year age gap between the pair. Furthermore, they broke up several months later.

In early 2022, Rodrigo was speculated to have dated DJ Zack Bia. Their rumored romance lasted approximately six months. At the time, she was 19 while he was 26. It’s important to note that Rodrigo has never outright commented on her personal relationships. Although we may never know who or what inspired “Vampire,” we can appreciate the new direction her music is headed.