“It’s Brutal Out Here”: Adolescence, Betrayal, and Vulnerability in Olivia Rodrigo’s SOUR

Abstract

Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album SOUR (2021) is a concept album about betrayal. Although the album’s adolescent themes suggest that it was designed for a teen audience, its cultural impact reached beyond this target demographic, achieving critical acclaim and popularity across multiple generations. This article draws on Jennifer Freyd’s theory of betrayal trauma to suggest that Rodrigo’s emotional vulnerability in SOUR resonated with widespread feelings of betrayal and distress regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, and that the album’s themes of adolescence presented a nostalgic setting in which listeners could cope with pandemic-related trauma without having to fully acknowledge or understand its source. Using SOUR as a case study, this article contributes to ongoing scholarly conversations about youth musical culture by demonstrating how the comfort listeners draw from nostalgic teen music can reach beyond escapism to contribute meaningfully to processes of coping and healing in times of great sorrow and betrayal.