Olivia Rodrigo - MTV Performance Screen | @mtv on Twitter
Given her immense industry stature, the size of her platform and her own prowess as a singer-songwriter, an endorsement from Taylor Swift carries a lot of weight.
It will prove especially meaningful for a contingent of pop artists born in the late 90s or early 2000s. In addition to admiring her as a fellow artist, these individuals likely grew up listening to her music, becoming devoted fans in the process.
We have seen happen recently: Conan Gray and Maisie Peters, who have been rather open about their admiration for Swift, expressed tremendous excitement when Swift gave them public shout-outs.
The same just happened with Olivia Rodrigo.
The singer-actress, known for starring in “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” and its hit soundtrack cut “All I Want,” covered Swift’s “Cruel Summer” as part of the MTV “Alone Together” series.
Swift subsequently shared the cover on her Instagram story, declaring “THE TALENT.” in response. She also noted that she “Love(s) This!” and thanked Rodrigo and MTV for the beautiful performance.
Rodrigo quickly Tweeted her excitement:
“TAYLOR SWIFT POSTED A VIDEO OF ME SINGING CRUEL SUMMER ON HER INSTAGRAM STORY. I WILL NEVER STOP SCREAMING.” She also confirmed that she will frame the screenshot of Swift’s Instagram praise and “hang it above my firstborn’s crib.”
Like Gray and Peters, Rodrigo has been open about her support for Taylor Swift. She recently made waves by wearing a T-shirt that featured Swift hugging Lorde; Rodrigo also confirmed being a “‘Paper Rings’ Stan” in a recent Twitter Q&A.