Olivia Rodrigo: 'Nothing in music is ever new'
Olivia Rodrigo has insisted all musicians are inspired by "artists who have come before them".
Back in August, representatives from Warner Chappell Music revealed Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams and former guitarist Joshua Farro had been added as co-writers on the Sour hitmaker's track, Good 4 U, after a number of fans called out similarities between the tune and the rock group's 2007 song Misery Business.
Addressing the song copying allegations during an interview for the October 2021 issue of Teen Vogue magazine, Olivia maintained that she came up with the lyrics and melody for Good 4 U "one morning in the shower", but admitted that the topic of copyright within the music industry is a "tricky" one.
"What's so beautiful about music is that it can be so inspired by music that's come out in the past," she stated. "Every single artist is inspired by artists who have come before them. It's sort of a fun, beautiful sharing process. Nothing in music is ever new. There's four chords in every song. That's the fun part - trying to make that your own."
Elsewhere in the chat, Olivia noted that she tries not to get distracted by the controversy and is instead focused on moving forward.
"I think it's disappointing to see people take things out of context and discredit any young woman's work," the 18-year-old added. "But at the end of the day, I'm just really proud and happy to say that my job is being a songwriter ... All music is inspired by each other."
