Olivia Rodrigo Says This Kendrick Lamar Song Inspired Her When Writing ‘Expectations’: ‘It’s a Mantra’
Rodrigo released a remix of "Expectations" featuring Chappell Roan.
Olivia Rodrigo
Olivia Rodrigo pulls on an array of inspirations for her lethal songwriting — and the pop star revealed that Kendrick Lamar’s “HUMBLE.” was one of the forces fueling You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love‘s “Expectations.”
Just hours before the “Expectations” remix featuring Chappell Roan hit streaming services on Friday (Oct. 16), Rodrigo and Roan joined Zane Lowe for an interview on Apple Music, where the “Good 4 U” singer shouted out her collaborator and Lamar while detailing the origins of “Expectations.”
“It was kind of like a challenge to myself; I wanted to write a mantra song,” Rodrigo explained. “I feel like lots of my songs are like, ‘This is how I feel.’ Then I wanted to be like, ‘I want to sing this song every night.’ It’s like Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Sit down, be humble.’ It gets in your brain. It’s a mantra.”
She continued to credit Roan: “When I made the song, I was really inspired by Chappell and the attitude and swagger that she had…. It always felt inspired by you and your songwriting style.”
The “Expectations” remix arrived Friday with an accompanying game show-themed video featuring the Grammy winners in vintage outfits, with Talking Heads legend David Byrne hosting the show as the pair faced off in a Family Feud spoof they’re calling Sister Squabble.
“Expectations” landed on Rodrigo’s Billboard 200-topping You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love album in June and reached No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Nearly a decade before inspiring Rodrigo, Kendrick Lamar’s thunderous “HUMBLE.” anthem served as the lead single for his DAMN. album in March 2017, and notched K. Dot his first solo No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
Watch the full interview and the “Expectations” video below.
This article was first published by Billboard U.S.
