Ever since High School Musical: The Musical: The Series aired, I’ve been a fan of Oliva Rodrigo. From songs from the show to her debut single “Drivers License”, I’ve loved her music. “Drivers License” hit number one on the charts within a week of its release and took the record for most single-day streams on Spotify, which is unfathomable for such a young and new artist. This week, I’ve been listening to her second single “deja vu”, which only just came out on Thursday. 

The song has a more upbeat, pop feel to it than her debut, but both have the same influences of artists like Taylor Swift. “deja vu” finds Olivia in a different stage of the breakup process, in which she notices the similarities in her past relationship with her ex and their current relationship with a new girl. Unlike the heartbroken, ballad-like movement of “Drivers License”, “deja vu” carries itself with a unique beat and rich vocals. 

Olivia pokes fun at how identical the two relationships are, saying she bets “she’s braggin’ to all her friends, sayin‘ you’re so unique”. She goes on to explain how everything her ex does with their new girlfriend, they did with her first. Something I love about the song is the fact that most of the things her ex does with the new girl, she taught them. Olvia says that she “made the jokes you tell to her when she’s with you” and leads into the chorus to ask if they “get déjà vu when she’s with you?” The chorus and bridge of the song are very reminiscent of Taylor Swift, which, being a huge Taylor fan, definitely appeals to me.

In the bridge, Olivia continues to address the copycat nature of the new relationship. She notes that her ex probably played their new girlfriend “Uptown Girl”, but adds that she bets she “doesn’t know that I was the one who taught you Billy Joel.” I like hearing this perspective of the relationship because I think a lot of people would fi

nd it normal to take the new interests you found with a partner with you after the relationship ends. However, Olivia touches on the other side of things, in which you find yourself bitter over the fact that this person you shared things with is now playing it off as if they discovered them to impress someone else.

Overall, the song is a jam. It’s perfect to dance around your room to and I can imagine how fun it would be to hear live.