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How did Miley Cyrus’ Heartbreak Song “Flowers” Break the Spotify Record?

March 17, 2023

The singer, songwriter, and actress Miley Cyrus has recently released a record-breaking song called “Flowers” in January 2023. This song recites her 10-year long relationship with her ex-husband....

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Men I Trust: Canada’s DIY Indie Band That Could Be Your New Favourite

March 4, 2023

Men I Trust is a Canadian indie pop band known for their dreamy and mellow sound. Their music is laid back, incorporating elements of funk, disco, and R&B to create a smooth and groovy vibe that is

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Basics For Building an At-Home Recording Studio

March 3, 2023

Artists like Kaytranada have proved that you don’t need access to a professional recording studio to create well-produced music. As technology and social media have advanced, it is now easier than eve

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Facing the Music: Legal Challenges With AI and Copyright Laws

February 25, 2023

People draw inspiration from others when forming their ideas, it’s a fact of life. Sampling in music is no exception - and artists do it for a variety of reasons. Traditionally, copyright laws and

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Tobias Jesso Jr.: GRAMMY-Winning Canadian Sells His Song Rights

February 23, 2023

Tobias Jesso Jr. You may know his name from his 2015 solo album Goon. Or maybe from his work on various popular songs, such as “When We Were Young” by Adele and “Alive” by Sia. Or even from his rece

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How Popular TV Shows and Movies Resurrect Classic Songs

February 23, 2023

HBO’s The Last of Us is arguably the hottest show out right now, receiving near universal acclaim from viewers and critics alike. This holds especially true for episode three: “Long, Long Time”.

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Ginalina: Bringing Her Taiwan Roots Into Her Latest Album

February 21, 2023

Folk singer. Songwriter. Canadian. Polyglot. All of these titles belong to Gina Lam, also known by her stage name Ginalina. In November 2022, she released her latest album titled Going Back: Remembe

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Rihanna’s Super Bowl Performance

February 21, 2023

Rihanna is an illustrious artist. She is among the best selling female artists of all time, and was one of the greatest hitmakers of the 2000s and 2010s. She has since grown to become the richest...

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How do Streaming Platforms Pay Artists - Is It Fair?

February 20, 2023

Streaming is now the driving force of the music industry, making up 84% of the industry revenue in the U.S. While streaming is much more convenient for listeners, many artists argue that it is near im

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Why Jay-Z Was Named The #1 Rapper Of All Time

February 23, 2023

Who is the greatest rapper of all time? Is it even possible to crown just one person? Well, Billboard and Vibe did exactly that. And, according to them, that person is Jay-Z. In honor of Hip-Hop’s

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Behind Kaytranada’s Unique Sound

February 18, 2023

Kaytranada (Louis Celestin) is a Haitian-Canadian record producer and DJ. He is a highly acclaimed electronic artist, having earned two Grammys and countless other awards for his work. Kaytranada has

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The Creative Act: Rick Rubin’s Knowledge Turned Into A Book

February 17, 2023

What happens when a famous music producer takes an interest in self-help books? The Creative Act is your answer. But who is Rick Rubin? Without a doubt, Rubin has an impressive track record in the

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The Shadow of Sour Writing “Vampire” by Olivia Rodrigo

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The mastermind behind the overwhelmingly successful album, Sour, the 20-year-old Olivia Rodrigo comes back into the spotlight with a new heartwrenching single, ‘Vampire’ and the announcement of her upcoming album ‘Guts’. 

As the expected sophomore album Guts slowly approaches, many people have been taking note of the difficulty that Olivia will face to top her previous work on Sour. Sour debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, with the biggest opening in 2021 for an album at the time. In addition, it secured Olivia three Grammy wins in 2022.

Olivia discusses the pressure and anxiety that she faced with the success of Sour and the expectations that she had to live up to during the early stages of writing Guts. She mentions that it’s an unhealthy mindset to constantly think about outperforming ‘Drivers License’ or Sour. Instead, she focuses on writing music she herself would love to hear on the radio and chooses to accept everything else is out of her control, including the success of her work. 

With all that said, Vampire is currently occupying the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100, with over 100 million streams on Spotify, and continues Olivia’s streak as one of this generation's greatest songwriters. 

Writing Vampire really helped Olivia sort through a lot of “regret, anger and heartache”, things she was trying to express for a long time. Vampire isn’t just about something surface-level like someone hurting Olivia, but rather the regret she faced for going along while knowing that something wasn’t going to turn out great. 

Listen to Vampire on music streaming platforms, and check out the music video for Vampire on Youtube.