Olivia Rodrigo performed a tender rendition of “Guts” highlight, “Vampire,” on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
The pop heavyweight appeared Colbert on Monday night (Dec. 18), performing the track surrounded by props and dropping her vocal delivery from her signature range to a more vulnerable, whispery tone. Backed by just a piano and a string quartet, the final arrangement of the track sees Rodrigo's vocals take center stage.
Watch Olivia Rodrigo perform “Vampire” on “Colbert” below:
Rodrigo's performance on Colbert is the latest in a series of appearances on American television to promote her second album, Guts. Earlier this month, he appeared on Saturday night live to perform a rousing rendition of 'All-American Bitch'. She also appeared Jimmy Kimmel Live! in October, she performed “Ballad Of A Homeschooled Girl” both in front of a band and behind the dash of Jimmy Kimmel's car as she mingled with the host and his kids on the way to school.
“Guts” earned a rave review, five stars from NME, with Sophie Williams praising the 20-year-old's maturity from her 2021 debut. “Here, she offers raw self-analysis while reflecting on broader cultural ideas of performance and swallowing anger in order to conform to the wants and needs of others,” she wrote. “It serves as a display of real power, range and agility – all of which Rodrigo possesses in abundance.”
He eventually landed in second place NME's list of the best albums of 2023, alongside other acts such as Caroline Polachek, Young Fathers, Troye Sivan, Paramore and Boygenius.
Williams once again wrote of the album, praising its honest coming-of-age performance, writing, “This perspective is shaped through adrenaline-pumping guitar passages and occasional shrieking vocals. she rightly chose to indulge her own tension and celebrated herself for doing so.”
The “Get Him Back” singer was also recently the recipient Variety Storyteller of the Year Award. In her acceptance speech, she talked about the immense pressure she faced following the success of her debut album, 'Sour'. “I had so many voices in my head and felt so much pressure to please everyone with the music I was making,” he said.
“I found that just showing up to create something everyday, even if I wasn't feeling very inspired, was what pulled me out of that dread and started me getting really excited about the music I was making.”
In a recent interview with Los Angeles Times, Rodrigo admitted that some songs from 'Sour' no longer resonated with her as much. “Some of them I don't love so much anymore,” he said. “People are so sad because it's going to be their favorite song. But I feel like I've grown from some of it.”