Olivia Rodrigo has sparked speculation among fans after liking an Instagram post that compared emerging singer Audrey Hobert’s songwriting with the work of Taylor Swift.
Music magazine Pitchfork shared the post on Tuesday, August 18, following Hobert’s polarising appearance on Tiny Desk Concert. The post featured excerpts from a review by Sam Sodomsky praising Hobert’s music.
One slide compared Hobert’s songs with the kind of lead singles Swift no longer releases and described her as a pop songwriter with a strong sense of humour and memorable songwriting.
Rodrigo’s like quickly attracted attention from social media users, who interpreted it as possible support for the comparison with Swift.
However, a like applies to the entire Instagram post. Therefore, Rodrigo may have seen only the opening image and may not have read the slide containing the comparison.
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The post’s caption also mentioned Swift, describing Hobert’s music as a combination of “early Taylor Swift and Ween.”
Rodrigo and Swift Comparisons
The reaction comes amid years of online discussion surrounding Rodrigo and Swift, particularly after Rodrigo’s 2021 song Deja Vu prompted speculation about similarities to Swift’s music.
Rodrigo has previously addressed the online attention surrounding her songwriting and personal life.
Speaking to The New York Times’ Popcast in May, Rodrigo said she does not spend much time analysing online theories about her.
She explained that constantly investigating internet speculation about her life would become overwhelming and that she does not have enough time to follow every theory.
There is currently no confirmation that Rodrigo intended her Instagram like as criticism of Swift.
