Music news: Olivia Rodrigo performs CMAT hit on Radio 1’s Live Lounge
American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo covered the song ‘When a Good Man Cries’ for her second appearance on Radio 1’s Live Lounge, writes Music News Blitz’s Emma Corrigan.
The song, originally from the album ‘Euro-Country’ by Irish singer-songwriter CMAT (Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson), was released last year.
What the song reflects
With powerful lyrics, the song goes through themes of guilt, self-sabotage and heartbreak, alongside the evocative chorus ‘Kyrie Eleison’ (Lord have mercy on me), filling the melody with broader questions surrounding forgiveness and morality.
Rodrigo stated during the programme that this is one her favourite songs right now, and has since had a reaction from the artist (CMAT) saying that this “gift has landed in her lap” after recently being trolled online and body shamed.
Exposure boost
Since the performance, "When a Good Man Cries” has seen a major exposure boost, with higher streams across both Spotify and Tik Tok.
Rodrigo, who is also familiar with online hate herself, has been criticised for her looks after her new album release, ‘You seem pretty sad for a girl so in love”.
With her evolving style, the babydoll outfits on the cover of this album (to be released on June 12) have sparked negative reactions on social media, with a ‘childlike’ appearance that have been condemned, suggesting this look shouldn’t be promoted by an adult woman.
Sense of irony
With both singer-songwriters having a confessional tone to their music, Rodrigo’s exploration of heartbreak and jealousy comes from an almost immediate response, whilst CMAT tends to look back on the experience, with humorous lyrics and a sense of irony throughout.
As both artists grapple with the realities of online hate and different vulnerabilities of body image, Rodrigo’s performance of CMAT’s song showed the artists' support of one another in an industry where looks are still at the height of criticism.
Rodrigo said in an interview that nobody is “writing songs like her now, she’s a force”.
With a shared commitment to emotional honesty in their songwriting, CMAT and Rodrigo have cemented themselves as two of the most compelling female artists of this generation.
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