Olivia Rodrigo released her new lead single titled “Drop Dead,” alongside a music video recorded at the Palace of Versailles last Friday, April 17, 2026.
“Drop Dead” is the first song from Rodrigo’s upcoming third album titled You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, which is expected to be released worldwide on June 12.
According to Pitchfork, the music video, directed by Petra Collins, features Rodrigo wearing pink headphones and a pink guitar, and was filmed at the famous French venue. The song was written and produced by Olivia Rodrigo and Dan Nigro, the latter of whom also produced Rodrigo’s earlier albums, such as Sour and Guts.
The new 13-track album is a follow-up to Rodrigo’s award-winning 2023 album, Guts, and the subsequent world tour. In her fan newsletter, Rodrigo elaborated on the overall mood of the new songs.
“No matter how hard I try to write love songs, they always come out laced with a little melancholy,” Rodrigo explained, as reported by Pitchfork.
During an interview with British Vogue, Rodrigo also discussed the theme of her album and explained why most of her favorite romantic songs contain elements of sorrow or yearning.
“I realized all my favorite romantic love songs were beautiful because they had a tinge of fear or yearning in them,” Rodrigo stated.
Rodrigo described herself as a “lover girl” who desires a devoted relationship but acknowledges the challenges of contemporary dating.
“Falling in love, [I thought] that the second I’m in a really great relationship, I’m gonna start feeling good about myself, and this stuff is going to fall into place. But it just doesn’t work like that,” Rodrigo said.
“I’m definitely a lover girl. Like, I want to be in something committed and so in love. And yeah, it’s hard these days.”
Before the release, Rodrigo dropped hints about her new song on social media through visual clips. In one post, as reported by Yahoo, Rodrigo appeared holding a bottle of beer in her hand while a portion of the song played in the background.
“I hope you never finish that beer,” Rodrigo wrote in the post.
Another visual clip features Rodrigo looking out a train window, accompanied by the text, “it’s feminine intuition.”
After the release of “Drop Dead,” Rodrigo will host and perform as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live on May 2, 2026.
