Olivia Rodrigo has officially acknowledged Taylor Swift’s influence on her hit single, “deja vu,” by adding Swift as a co-writer on the track. As Rolling Stone points out, Swift and her “Cruel Summer” co-writers St. Vincent and Jack Antonoff are now listed in the song’s metadata on Spotify and TIDAL.
Back in April, Rodrigo told Rolling Stone about the connection between “deja vu” and “Cruel Summer” while explaining how the former track was made. “I wanted to be really high energy because the rest of the song is serene and eerily calm,” she said. “I wanted the last bridge to kind of like go crazy. And I love ‘Cruel Summer,’ it’s one of my favorite songs ever. I love the yell-y vocals in it, like the harmonized yells that she does, I feel like they’re super electric and moving. And so I wanted to do something like that.”
“Deja Vu” was Rodrigo’s second single off her debut album, Sour, and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. In the process, she became the first artist in history to debut their first two singles in the Top 10.
Swift and Antonoff now have two writing credits each on Sour, as “1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back” borrows from the Reputation track “New Year’s Day.” While Rodrigo and Swift have yet to link up for a performance or studio session, the two singers have expressed mutual admiration for each other. Swift co-signed Rodrigo’s breakout hit, “Drivers License,” on Instagram and has also sent the younger singer a handwritten letter containing career advice.
Revisit Olivia Rodrigo’s “deja vu” and Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” below.
