Olivia Rodrigo‘s sophomore album Guts just came out, and what better way to bring it to life than with an invigorating VMAs performance? She was the second performance of the night, following Lil Wayne.

In a pink two-piece outfit, she sang the first Guts single “Vampire,” an emotional ballad, while sitting by in grass by a set-up of a lake. As she gave a poignant performance, the pyrotechnics became concerning; a fake tree fell, the pop star was directed off the stage, and the curtain was drawn. However, don’t be fooled — it was just the dramatic segue into her bombastic rock-tinged anthem “Get Him Back.”

About “Vampire,” Rodrigo previously said, “I was upset about a certain situation and went to the studio alone and sat down at the grand piano, and the chords and melody and lyrics just poured out of me — almost like an out-of-body experience,” she said in a statement. “It’s a song about feeling confused and hurt, and at first I thought it was meant to be a piano ballad. But when Dan and I started working on it, we juxtaposed the lyrics with these big drums and crazy tempo changes. So now it’s like a heartbreak song you can dance to.”

Watch clips of her performance below.

Posted in: Pop
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