Olivia Rodrigo is severing the strings, sweetheart. Evidently, the three-time Grammy winner has allegedly fired her long-time managers, Aleen Keshishian and Zack Morgenroth of Lighthouse Management, to start her own executive team to promote her third album. Translation: Olivia is about to control her career like it’s the White House and she’s the President and the Chief of Staff.
Sour, GUTS, and Now Full Power
This is not a small pivot. Olivia isn’t just some cute breakout girl hoping to keep up momentum. She already shattered streaming history with her debut SOUR, which remains the most-streamed album by a female act on Spotify. Then she followed it up with GUTS, a global chart-topper across the U.S., U.K., and basically half the map. With receipts like that, Olivia doesn’t need anyone holding her purse. She’s building her own team and putting herself at the top of the chain of command.
Lighthouse Dimmed Out
The breakup happens on the heels of rumors that Keshishian got earlier this year after liking an Instagram post that was interpreted to be casting shade on Taylor Swift and caused a tidal wave of foaming-at-the-mouth Swifties to unjustly involve Olivia in the scandal. Swiftie fanatics can and will make everything a federal case, but Olivia apparently opted not to have her brand associated with any further collateral damage.
The Fans Just Can’t Have Enough
Comments on the internet vary from cautious optimism to outright melt-downs of excitement:
- One fan fretted, “A strong management team can make all the difference in how ur music does. Look at Dua Lipa… Radical Optimism flopped.”
- That’s fair enough, but Olivia’s not quite offering “flop risk.”
- Another chimed in, “Obviously her team was somewhat of a shitshow handling her appearances. I think it is impressive that she is individually going to be the one to determine who she is represented by.” Translation: she’s taking control.
- Someone yelled, “this OR3 period is already for theeee booooks.” And I do, I do.
- One of the vituperators who calls herself a “Swiftie” contributed further, “Not just the Swifties were disrespecting Olivia over something she never did, it was something not her manager did… sf unserious.” Period.
- And naturally the melodramatic intro announcement by the stan “Full Creative Control u guysss this era will be hers and hers only it’ll be more special im CRYINGGG.
Swifties Will Thrive
Olivia doesn’t need to keep explaining herself to Taylor’s army of internet detectives. The girl is 21 with two global smash eras under her belt, and she’s not slowing down. Fans are already salivating at the thought of what OR3 will sound like now that she’s steering her own ship with no middlemen diluting the vision.
