Traitor (song)

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This article is about the Olivia Rodrigo song. For other songs, see Traitor (disambiguation).

"Traitor"
Single by Olivia Rodrigo
from the album Sour
WrittenJuly 2020
ReleasedAugust 10, 2021 (2021-08-10)
RecordedJuly 2020
StudioAmusement (Los Angeles)
Genre
Length3:49
LabelGeffen
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Dan Nigro
Olivia Rodrigo singles chronology
"Good 4 U"
(2021) 		"Traitor"
(2021) 		"Brutal"
(2021)
Lyric video
"Traitor" on YouTube

"Traitor" (stylized in all lowercase) is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo. The song was released to US contemporary hit radio formats on August 10, 2021, through Geffen Records, as the fourth single from Rodrigo's debut album Sour (2021). An indie pop and guitar rock ballad, "Traitor" was written by Rodrigo and Dan Nigro, and was produced by the latter.

Before it was promoted as a single, "Traitor" became a fan-favorite and achieved commercial success as an album track. Upon Sour's release, "Traitor" arrived at number nine in the United States, number five in the United Kingdom, and peaked within the top-10 in Australia, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand. The song was also certified silver in the United Kingdom, and gold in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. The song received its debut performance as part of Rodrigo's concert film Sour Prom.

Background and release[]

Following the minor success of "All I Want" (2019), American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo signed with Geffen Records, a subsidiary of Interscope Records, intending to release her debut extended play in 2021. After the widespread success of Rodrigo's debut single "Drivers License", released on January 8, 2021, she decided she wanted to make a full-length studio album instead.[1][2]

Alongside the release of her second single "Deja Vu" on April 1, 2021, Rodrigo announced that her debut studio album, under the placeholder title *O*R, would be released on May 21.[3] On April 13, Rodrigo announced the cover art and announced the title of her debut studio album Sour. Together with the announcement, the track listing was announced, and "Traitor" was revealed to appear as track two on Sour.[4] The song was released with a lyric video alongside the album on May 21, 2021.[5]

"Traitor" was sent to US contemporary hit radio on August 10, 2021, as the fourth single from Sour.[6]

Composition and reception[]

"Traitor" is an indie pop and guitar-rock ballad.[7][8][9] The song has been rumored to be about American actor and singer Joshua Bassett, who co-starred with Rodrigo in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.[10] Musically, the song is set in the key of E♭ major, and has a tempo of 50 beats per minute. The song is set in 6
8 time, and Rodrigo's vocals in the song span from B♭3 to A♭5.[11]

The track received praise from reviewers. P. Claire Dodson, writing for Teen Vogue, called "Traitor" "flawless", and remarked that the song had a "Kacey Musgraves-esquenlight-folk backdrop".[12] Tatiana Tenreyro of The A.V. Club called the song "[Rodrigo's] most vulnerable song yet".[9] NME's Rhian Daly described the song as "gorgeous".[13] Larisha Paul from Billboard praised the song, deeming it to feature Rodrigo's "best vocal performance" throughout Sour.[14]

Commercial performance[]

In the US, before it was promoted as a single, "Traitor" debuted and peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 upon the album' release, charting alongside "Good 4 U" and "Deja Vu" in the top 10 of the chart. Billboard underscored how "Traitor" accumulated impressive sales and streaming units for an album track. "Traitor" also reached number 3 on Billboard Streaming Songs chart, distinguishing Rodrigo as the first artist in history to claim all of the top three on the chart for consecutive weeks. Commenting on the song's critical and commercial success, Rodrigo said "I wrote it on my bed while I was crying. I never really thought that it was going to be a song that resonated with so many people. I thought that it was a very specific situation that I was going through, and it's so funny that that’s the non-single song that's the most successful. So many people have been like, 'How did you know? This is exactly what happened to me!'".[15]

The song landed at number seven on the UK Singles Chart,[16] before rising and peaking at number five the following week.[17] On Billboard's Global 200 chart, the song peaked at number seven.[18] "Traitor" also charted within the top-10 in Australia,[19] Canada,[20] Ireland,[21] and New Zealand,[22] and within the top-20 in Norway.[23] Additionally, the song was certified Silver in the United Kingdom,[24] Gold in Australia[25] and New Zealand,[26] and Platinum in Canada.[27]

Live performance[]

"Traitor" received its debut performance on June 26, 2021, as part of the release of Rodrigo's concert film Sour Prom.[28][29]

Credits and personnel[]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Sour.[30]

Recording

  • Recorded at Amusement Studios (Los Angeles)
  • Mixed at SOTA Studios (Los Angeles)
  • Mastered at Sterling Sound (New York City)

Personnel

  • Olivia Rodrigo – vocals, backing vocals, songwriting
  • Dan Nigro – songwriting, production, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, piano, drum programming, Juno 60, B3 organ, backing vocals
  • Ryan Linvill – bass guitar, drum programming, synthesizer
  • Randy Merrill – mastering
  • Mitch McCarthy – mixing

Charts[]

Chart performance for "Traitor"
Chart (2021) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[19] 5
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[20] 9
Global 200 (Billboard)[18] 7
Greece (IFPI)[31] 27
Ireland (IRMA)[21] 3
Lithuania (AGATA)[32] 68
Malaysia (RIM)[33] 13
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[22] 5
Norway (VG-lista)[23] 16
Singapore (RIAS)[34] 11
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[35] 71
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[36] 56
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[37] 95
UK Singles (OCC)[17] 5
US Billboard Hot 100[38] 9
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[39] 22

Certifications[]

Certifications for "Traitor"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[25] Gold 35,000double-dagger
Canada (Music Canada)[27] Platinum 80,000double-dagger
New Zealand (RMNZ)[26] Gold 15,000double-dagger
Portugal (AFP)[40] Gold 5,000double-dagger
United Kingdom (BPI)[24] Silver 200,000double-dagger

double-dagger Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history[]

Release dates and formats for "Traitor"
Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
United States August 10, 2021 Contemporary hit radio Geffen [6]

References[]

  1. ^ "Olivia Rodrigo: 33 facts about the Drivers License singer you need to know". PopBuzz. Archived from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  2. ^ Lipshutz, Jason (January 19, 2021). "How Olivia Rodrigo Turned a 'Really Painful Moment' Into a Phenomenon". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  3. ^ Fuamoli, Sose (April 6, 2021). "Olivia Rodrigo's 'f*cked around and made an album'". Triple J. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  4. ^ Martoccio, Angie (April 13, 2021). "Olivia Rodrigo Details Debut Album 'Sour,' Reveals Tracklist". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  5. ^ Rodrigo, Olivia (May 21, 2021). "traitor (Lyric Video)". YouTube. Archived from the original on July 11, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b "Top 40/M Cool New Music". All Access. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  7. ^ Gigwise Staff (June 21, 2021). "The Best Albums of 2021 So Far | Gigwise". Gigwise. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  8. ^ DeLuca, Dan (June 4, 2021). "Olivia Rodrigo's 'Sour' marks the arrival of a singer-songwriter to watch". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b Tenreyro, Tatiana (May 21, 2021). "Olivia Rodrigo's SOUR is so much more than a breakup album". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  10. ^ Prance, Sam (May 21, 2021). "Olivia Rodrigo fans think her Traitor lyrics call out Joshua Bassett for betraying her". PopBuzz. Archived from the original on July 11, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  11. ^ Rodrigo, Olivia; Nigro, Daniel (May 21, 2021). "traitor by Olivia Rodrigo". Musicnotes.com. Archived from the original on June 3, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  12. ^ Dodson, P. Claire (May 25, 2021). "Olivia Rodrigo 'Sour' Album Review: It's Brutal Out Here". Teen Vogue. Archived from the original on July 1, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  13. ^ Daly, Rhian (May 21, 2021). "Olivia Rodrigo – 'Sour' review: breakout star channels '90s alt-rock". NME. Archived from the original on May 21, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  14. ^ Paul, Larisha (May 21, 2021). "Every Song Ranked on Olivia Rodrigo's 'Sour': Critic's Picks". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 22, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  15. ^ Mamo, Heran (August 11, 2021). "Olivia Rodrigo Was Surprised By Fans' Reactions to the 'Most Successful' Non-Single of 'Sour'". Billboard. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  16. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  18. ^ Jump up to: a b "Global 200 Chart". Billboard. June 5, 2021. Archived from the original on June 4, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  19. ^ Jump up to: a b "Australian-charts.com – Olivia Rodrigo – Traitor". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  20. ^ Jump up to: a b "Billboard Canadian Hot 100 Chart: June 5, 2021". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 3, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  21. ^ Jump up to: a b "Irish-charts.com – Discography Olivia Rodrigo". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  22. ^ Jump up to: a b "Charts.nz – Olivia Rodrigo – Traitor". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  23. ^ Jump up to: a b "Discography Olivia Rodrigo". Topplista. Archived from the original on April 19, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  24. ^ Jump up to: a b @brits (July 17, 2021). "✨ Taken from her debut album 'SOUR', @Olivia_Rodrigo's 'Traitor' is now #BRITcertified Silver!