Olivia Rodrigo Keeps Distance Swift’s Way When Asked About Five-Year-Old Credit Dispute

The release date for Olivia Rodrigo’s next record, *You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love*, sits on the calendar. The promotion cycle drags certain old subjects right along with it. During a conversation with The New York Times’ Popcast, hosts Jon Caramanica and Joe Coscarelli asked Rodrigo about the songwriting credit added to her 2021 single “Deja Vu” months after its release.

The track from *Sour* drew a quiet retroactive share for Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff, and St. Vincent. It followed an interview where Rodrigo freely described the bridge’s inspiration. She wanted something after the serene calm of the verses, she said at the time. High-energy, the harmonized yells she loved in Swift’s “Cruel Summer.” On “1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back,” an interpolation of Swift’s “New Year’s Day” carried credits from the start. This was different.

Caramanica put it plainly. Was there now a frost between Rodrigo and Swift. She took a breath. “I don’t know,” Rodrigo said. “I think I tried to not let it, like, get to me or upset me. I think I just try to keep it trucking.” She spoke of making songs she loves. Of trying to be kind and good and supportive. “At the end of the day,” she added, “I think that’s all you can do.”

The answer did not close the door. It left a clear sense that Rodrigo’s own experience with support from others has been mixed. She didn’t offer names. She didn’t need to.