Stars like Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter have each impacted the pop industry. While there is no denying their success, it is unfortunate that these three women have been placed at the center of a competition to be considered this generation’s “pop princess.”
I have been listening to pop music for as long as I can remember and I still love when a good pop song or album comes out and I can blast it on my speaker when I am getting ready to go out with my girls. Although Swift, Rodrigo and Carpenter have brought a fresh approach to the genre, the conversation always shifts to their past relationships, drama that surrounds them and shading each other in their lyrics. It seems that the only way a female artist can make themselves known or become relevant is if they are linked to a man or childish drama.
Rodrigo and Carpenter are modern artists in the industry, but Swift has been a household name since her career began in 2006 in the country music scene. Her record breaking 2014 debut pop album “1989” sold over 10.6 million copies, and included chart topping singles like “Style” and “Shake it Off. Swift has recently sold out stadiums across the world on her “Eras Tour,” which is estimated to make about $2.165 billion by the end of 2024.
Rodrigo skyrocketed into fame with her breakthrough single “driver’s license” which now has over 2.2 billion streams, and was featured in her 2021 debut album “Sour” which has sold over 21 million copies globally. “Sour” was the number one album on the Billboard 200 charts for 5 weeks and spent in the top 10 for the rest of 2021. Her “guts” tour had grossed an estimated $67.7 million in March of this year with shows still remaining in her world tour.
Carpenter has captured the hearts of millions with her fun and catchy singles “Nonsense” and “Feather,” In the last two years, she opened for Swift’s tour in Latin America, Australia and Asia. Her smash hit “Nonsense” has been streamed over 1 billion times since its release and her 2024 VMA Song of the year winner “Espresso.” She released her “Short ‘n Sweet” album in August of this year and it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. She also kicked off her “Short ‘n Sweet” tour this month and sold out her first show in Columbus, Ohio.
Despite these accomplishments fans and critics pick apart the lyrics of their songs and look for drama rather than appreciating their creative and clever songwriting. These disputes and comparisons are not uncommon in the music industry, especially to female artists.
In Rodrigo’s “driver’s license” she sings, “And you’re probably with that blonde girl who always made me doubt, she’s so much older than me she’s everything I’m insecure about,” which sent fans into a frenzy about a possible love triangle between Carpenter, Rodrigo, and actor and singer Joshua Bassett. Fans chose sides and Carpenter even changed the lyrics of her song “Nonsense” to address the drama, singing “this song is not about Joshua Basset” on stage in October 2022.
Rodrigo has been accused of copying Swift by fans and critics alike since the release of “Sour.” When Rodrigo released her single “Deja Vu,” social media users were quick to point out melodic similarities between the song and Swift’s 2023 release “Cruel Summer.” This ultimately led to Rodrigo granting Swift writing credits, from which Swift has gained an estimated $325,678 in publishing royalties. In an interview with Time Magazine, Rodrigo said “It was really frustrating to see people discredit and deny my creativity.”
Drama between Rodrigo and Carpenter escalated when Carpenter released her single “Skin,” with the lyrics “maybe you didn’t mean it, maybe blonde was the only rhyme.” Carpenter released her album “Emails I Can’t Send” in 2022 which featured a song called “because i liked a boy.” The song’s lyrics rebuffed the idea that Carpenter had wronged Rodrigo, singing “now i’m a homewrecker, I’m a slut, I got death threats filling up semi-trucks.” The song positioned Carpenter as a victim in the drama involving Bassett.
While everyone is allowed to prefer one artist over another, we as a society need to stop comparing women to each other and respect the fact that women are intellectually capable of creating art that inspires people. Every female artist adds to the music industry and has worked hard to get to where they are now. Women in music deserve to be praised for their creativity in releasing music that not only we enjoy as an audience, but also that enables them to express themselves as authentically as possible.
Editor-in-Chief: Jordan Premmer, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia McCrackin, Managing Editor: Jordan DelFiugo, Opinion Editor: Dakota Duran, Scene Editor: Elina Graham
