The singer-songwriter, 20, took the stage at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Tuesday night, singing a pair of new hits as she psyched out the crowd with a faux stage malfunction.
Rodrigo kicked things off with her sophomore albumGuts' lead single “Vampire,” which she sang onstage amid an array of trees while wearing a red bra and skirt combination with white boots.
But as the song picked up, the pyrotechnics behind her appeared to malfunction, and she looked confused as an apparent VMAs staffer appeared to quickly usher her offstage.
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The fake-out (a nod to her “Vampire” music video, in which the same thing happens) certainly had the crowd convinced something had gone amiss, and a close-up shot ofSelena Gomezshowed theOnly Murders in the Buildingstar looking confused as it played out.
Selena Gomez during Olivia Rodrigo’s performance.m tv
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As Rodrigo exited, her No. 1 hit “Good 4 U” played with a skip until finally all went quiet — and the star returned to the stage in full force, rocking out to her new song “Get Him Back!”
Rodrigo’s performance comes days after she released her second LPGuts, the follow-up to her 2021 debutSour.
Last week, Rodrigo opened up to PEOPLE about the pressure she felt to create a follow-up album forSour, which helped her win three Grammy Awards.
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“For the first few months of writingGutsI was dealing with a lot of noise in my head about whether it was going to be good enough or whether I could ever top what I did onSour,” she said. “It definitely adds a lot of pressure.”
Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for YouTube
When it came to writingGuts, Rodrigo teamed back up with her producer and songwriting partner Dan Nigro, and said she did her best to follow her gut.
“I had to switch my mindset into just trying to write songs that I would like to hear on the radio and not trying to beat anything or achieve any sort of commercial success,” she said. “Then it became a lot more fun, and the music became a lot better.”
Rodrigo says she also found unexpected ways to alleviate pressure, like spending time with Nigro’s 18-month-old daughter Saoirse.
The singer-songwriter is nominated for six awards this year including video of the year. Alsoconfirmed to perform this yearat the VMAs areLil Wayne,Doja Cat,Kelsea Ballerini,Anitta,Demi Lovato,Karol G,MåneskinandStray Kids.
source: people.com
