Olivia Rodrigo finally reveals who *those* 'Vampire' lyrics are really about and it's pretty iconic

The plot thickens...

Olivia Rodrigo at the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party held at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 12, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California./ in a pink template
(Image credit: Getty Images/Alberto Rodriguez/Variety)

Been wondering who exactly Olivia Rodrigo's 'Vampire' lyrics are about? Well, the hitmaker just jumped onto TikTok to address things, with a little help from Jake Shane. Here's what she said, plus all the fan theories surrounding the track's brutal meaning...

Jake Shane, Olivia Rodrigo and nods to The Vampire Diaries and Euphoria, all in one TikTok—that's what fans were met with on Monday, July 3, 2023, just a few days after Oliva's new single 'Vampire' hit the radio waves. 

The song, like that of 'Drivers License' and 'Good 4 U', has sparked a ton of speculation, with many theorizing that one of Olivia Rodrigo's ex-boyfriends is the inspo behind the blistering lyrics. And evidently, the singer has seen the rumors and offered up a rather iconic response...

What has Olivia Rodrigo said about those 'Vampire' lyrics?

Well, perhaps 'response' might be too strong of a word, as Olivia (who was wearing a cool pair of Prada sunglasses) and TikTok star Jake Shane took to the app to share a video with the caption: "For everyone asking...Vampire is about Jake Shane."

The pair then proceeded to drink from blood bags—which we're guessing is a reference to both Twilight and The Vampire Diaries—while lip-syncing to the 'Wait, is this f***ing play about us' sound from Euphoria.

@livbedumb

♬ original sound - ❦

Jake then commented: "I am the vampire in question."

Now, we're pretty sure this is a joke, as we sincerely doubt Olivia is on good terms with whoever she wrote the track about, but it's safe to say fans are living for the Jake Shane Olivia Rodrigo duo.

In fact, one fan commented: "THIS DUO IS INSANE."

While another added: "This is so iconic."

So... who is 'Vampire' by Olivia Rodrigo *really* about?

Now, there are a lot of theories out there, with fans alleging that the track is about one of Olivia's exes, while others have claimed the lyrics refer to the music industry as a whole.

Lyrics like "Six months of torture you sold as some forbidden paradise" have many speculating that the song is about Zack Bia, who Olivia dated for six months, back in 2022. There's also a mention of an age gap, which also works for their dating timeline as Olivia was 19, while Zack was 26. 

Some have also claimed it's about Adam Faze, who Olivia was linked to in 2021 and with whom there was also an age gap.

Though a few stans on TikTok have pointed out that in the video for 'Vampire', Olivia is performing at the 19th Annual Awards, which they think is a nod to her age when she dated Zach. That being said, the award show theme also lends itself to the music industry theory also...

@lyric.ology

♬ original sound - Kristina Parro
@kaylikouture

♬ vampire - Olivia Rodrigo

Many are also taking Madison Beer's reaction to the song as a clue as to who it's about. When asked by a fan what she thought of 'Vampire', Madison Tweeted: "fucking beautiful. truly think it’s so special and showcases her growth so amazingly. really really impressive."

This comes after her own song 'Selfish'—which is also rumored to be about Zack, who Madison dated back in 2018—hit an all-time streaming high in the wake of Olivia's song's release, with fans linking the narratives in both of their breakup ballads. 

For instance, in 'Selfish' Madison sings: "I bet you thought you gave me real love / But we spent it all in nightclub," which fans have connected to a verse in 'Vampire', that goes: "I should have known it was strange / You only come out at night."

In a now-deleted tweet (as per Elite Daily) Madison said: "Thank you miss olivia <3" in response to news of her song's sudden resurgence. Now, this might just be artists supporting artists, but it's definitely interesting...

Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo

There have also been some murmurings that the song could be about Taylor Swift—with whom Olivia shared some drama, following the release of her debut album 'Sour' back in 2021 (lots of questions around whether or not Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo are still friends...).

Olivia made it no secret that she was a huge Swiftie, with the pair sharing a ton of cute online exchanges and Olivia even drawing inspiration from Taylor's News Year's Day track for her own 1 Step Forward song—which credited Taylor, Jack Antonoff and St. Vincent. 

Soon after though, according to Variety, Olivia retroactively credited Taylor on Deja Vu, which she revealed in interviews was influenced by Taylor's Cruel Summer. Now fans are hypothesizing that perhaps Olivia was referencing this situation and the royalties Taylor received from the songs with lines like, 'But you made me look so naive, the way you sold me for parts.'

Of course, these are all just rumors and alas, until Olivia actually reveals who the song is about—because we doubt it's her pal Jake—we may never know who, if anyone, inspired the ballad.

Naomi Jamieson
Lifestyle News Writer

Naomi is a Lifestyle News Writer with the Women's Lifestyle team, where she covers everything from entertainment to fashion and beauty, as well as TikTok trends for Woman&Home, after previously writing for My Imperfect Life and GoodTo. Interestingly though, Naomi actually has a background in design, having studied illustration at Plymouth University but lept into the media world in 2020, after always having a passion for writing and earned her Gold Standard diploma in Journalism with the NCTJ.

Before working for Future Publishing’s Lifestyle News team, she worked in the Ad production team. Here she wrote and designed adverts on all sorts of things, which then went into print magazines across all genres. Now, when she isn’t writing articles on celebs, fashion trends, or the newest shows on Netflix, you can find her drinking copious cups of coffee, drawing and probably online shopping.