GUTS, Olivia Rodrigo

11/17/23 • 58 min

Olivia Rodrigo's sophomore album chronicles her 19th year and journey after achieving such a high level of success with her debut album. Keith Montena returns this week with special guest Carly Giacoio to break down the campaign surrounding GUTS, how Olivia's success rivals other young Disney stars, and the speculation surrounding drama with Taylor Swift. This is also a detailed look into SOUR's success in retrospect and the viral plagiarism accusations. Other topics include Rodrigo's creative process with collaborators like Dan Nigro & Ian Kirkpatrick, Grammy nominations, the VMAs, and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes soundtrack single.

Previous Episode

Doll Domination, The Pussycat Dolls

(Archive Episode 2022) Keith Montena returns this week with previous co-host Ashley Tatum to discuss one of the world's best-selling girl groups, The Pussycat Dolls. The groups sophomore (and last) era was helmed by collaborators like Polow Da Don, Timbaland, and Darkchild. The album, interestingly, was sculpted by beginning sessions for Nicole Scherzinger's debut solo album, "Her Name Is Nicole". Listen to hear about the group's evolving dynamics, why we feel it was always bound to cause drama, and where the girls are now after reuniting in 2020 with "React". While instances of drama at Britney Spears' Circus Tour or the American Music Awards became bait for tabloid culture of the 2000s, the girls still delivered some discography highlights and a huge hit with "When I Grow Up".

Next Episode

Emails I Can't Send, Sabrina Carpenter

Sabrina Carpenter's fifth album Emails I Can't Send marked a turning point in the artists career. Even with the eerie start-stop nature of her release campaign, the fifth album prevailed as a success with breakout hit "Nonsense". Rewind to 2021 as Keith Montena and special guest Abbey Velischek break down the infamous love triangle that plagued the star, her response song "Skin", and how the star shifted directions and created a very strong album. Topics include the singer's slot on Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour, her videos including "Feather", and the battle stars face when breaking out of the Disney or child-star umbrella.