What Is Olivia Rodrigo's Song 'Vampire' About?

Fans are wondering about the meaning behind Olivia Rodrigo's "Vampire," the singer's brand new song and lead single off her forthcoming second studio album, GUTS, due out later this year.

The music video for "Vampire" was directed by Petra Collins, who previously directed Rodrigo's "Good 4 U" music video. Collins has also worked with pop stars Carly Rae Jepsen and Selena Gomez.

The "Vampire" music video shows Rodrigo performing for an audience before studio lights come crashing down on top of her. A bleeding Rodrigo gets back up and continues to perform before the police attempt to stop her. She manages to elude the cops only to be chased by paparazzi and ends up alone on a city bridge.

Watch Olivia Rodrigo's "Vampire" Music Video, Below:

Rodrigo announced the single, which dropped Friday (June 30), in a tweet on June 13. The single artwork features Rodrigo wearing dark lipstick and gazing off, with two Band-Aids on her neck to indicate a vampire's signature bite. The song was co-written by Rodrigo and Dan Nigro, who also produced the track.

"I wrote the song on the piano, super chill, in December of last year. And my producer Dan and I finished it in January and finished writing it. And I've just always been really obsessed with songs that are very dynamic. My favorite songs are high and low, and reel you in and spit you back out. And so we wanted to do a song where it just crescendoed the entire time and it reflects the pent-up anger that you have for a situation," Rodrigo told Apple Music.

Is Olivia Rodrigo's "Vampire" About Her Ex-Boyfriend Zack Bia?

It's possible the song is about Olivia Rodrigo's relationship with ex-boyfriend Zack Bia, who the pop star dated briefly in 2022 when she was 19 — a number heavily referenced in the music video — and he was 26.

Bia is a DJ who is known in the Los Angeles nightlife scene, which Rodrigo may be referring to when she sings about a former lover who "only come[s] out at night."

The couple reportedly broke things off after six months of dating, something Rodrigo appears to reference when she sings: "Six months of torture that you sold as some forbidden paradise..."

Check out Olivia Rodrigo's "Vampire" lyrics in full, below.

[Verse 1]

Hate to give the satisfaction if asking how you're doing now
How's the castle built off people you pretend to care about?
Just what you wanted, look at you, cool guy, you got it
I see the parties and the diamonds sometimes when I close my eyes
Six months of torture that you sold as some forbidden paradise
I loved you truly, I gotta laugh at the stupidity

[Chorus]

'Cause I've made some real big mistakes
But you make the worst one look fine
I should've known it was strange
You only come out at night
I used to think I was smart
But you made me look so naive
The way you sold me for parts
As you sunk your teeth into me
Bloodsucker, famef---er
Bleeding me dry like a goddamn vampire

[Verse 2]

Every girl I ever talked to told me you were bad, bad news
You called them crazy and God I hate the way I called them crazy too
You're so convincing / How do you lie without flinching? (How do you lie? How do you lie? How do you lie?)
Oh, what a mesmerizing, paralyzing, f---ed up little thrill
Can't figure out just how you do it and God knows I never will
Went for me and not her
'Cause girls your age know better

[Repeat Chorus]

[Bridge]

You said it was true love
But wouldn't that be hard?
You can't love anyone
'Cause that would mean you had a heart
I tried you help you out, now I know that I can't
'Cause how you think’s the kind of thing I'll never understand

[Repeat Chorus]

"Vampire" is off Olivia Rodrigo's sophomore album, GUTS, out Sept. 8. According to the singer, the album is about the "growing pains" of growing up and coming of age.

Rodrigo's debut album, Sour, was released on May 21, 2021.