"Traitor" (stylized in
all lowercase
Letter case is the distinction between the letters that are in larger uppercase or capitals (more formally ''majuscule'') and smaller lowercase (more formally ''minuscule'') in the written representation of certain languages. The writing systems ...
) is a song by American singer-songwriter
Olivia Rodrigo. It was released to US radio on June 22, 2021, through
Geffen Records
Geffen Records (formerly The David Geffen Company from 1980 to 1992 and Geffen Records Inc. from 1993 to 2004) is an American record label, founded in late 1980 by David Geffen. Originally a music subsidiary of the company known as Geffen Pi ...
, as the fourth
single from Rodrigo's debut album, ''
Sour
The gustatory system or sense of taste is the sensory system that is partially responsible for the perception of taste. Taste is the perception stimulated when a substance in the mouth biochemistry, reacts chemically with taste receptor cells l ...
'' (2021). An
indie pop
Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with a DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and s ...
,
guitar-rock, and
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk horror
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Fo ...
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...
, the song was written by Rodrigo and
Dan Nigro, and produced by the latter.
Before it was promoted as a single, upon ''Sour'' release, "Traitor" became a fan-favorite and achieved commercial success. Music critics praised the song for its vocals and lyrics, and picked it as an album highlight. "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, New Zealand, and Portugal. The song was also certified diamond in Mexico and platinum in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. The song received its debut performance in Rodrigo's YouTube concert film ''Sour Prom'' (2021) That was featured in her official channel.
Background and release
Following the minor success of "
All I Want" (2019), American singer-songwriter
Olivia Rodrigo signed with
Geffen Records
Geffen Records (formerly The David Geffen Company from 1980 to 1992 and Geffen Records Inc. from 1993 to 2004) is an American record label, founded in late 1980 by David Geffen. Originally a music subsidiary of the company known as Geffen Pi ...
, a subsidiary of
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture ...
, intending to release her debut
extended play
An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...
in 2021. After the widespread success of Rodrigo's debut single "
Drivers License
A driver's license, driving licence, or driving permit is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, car ...
", released on January 8, 2021, she decided she wanted to make a full-length
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
instead.
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. On April 13, Rodrigo announced the cover art and announced the title of her debut studio album ''
Sour
The gustatory system or sense of taste is the sensory system that is partially responsible for the perception of taste. Taste is the perception stimulated when a substance in the mouth biochemistry, reacts chemically with taste receptor cells l ...
''. Together with the announcement, the track listing was announced, and "Traitor" was revealed to appear as track two on ''Sour''.
The song was released with a lyric video alongside the album on May 21, 2021.
"Traitor" was sent to radio in the US on June 22, 2021, as the fourth single from ''Sour''.
Composition
"Traitor" is an
indie pop
Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with a DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and s ...
,
guitar-rock, and
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk horror
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Fo ...
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...
.
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''. Lyrically, the song is about "feeling betrayed when you see your ex stepping into a new relationship while you're still reeling from your separation", as she whispers the lyrics "Guess you didn't cheat but you're still a traitor".
"Traitor" features a cinematic rise and fall of acoustics and a layering of harmonies.
Musically, the song is set in the
key of
E major
E major is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps. Its relative minor is C-sharp minor and its parallel minor is E minor. Its enharmonic equivalent, F-flat maj ...
, and has a moderately slow
tempo
In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...
of 50 beats per minute. The song is set in
time, and Rodrigo's vocals in the song span from
B3 to
A5.
Critical reception
The song received acclaim from music critics. P. Claire Dodson, writing for ''
Teen Vogue
''Teen Vogue'' is an American progressive online publication, formerly in print, launched in January 2003, as a sister publication to '' Vogue'', targeted at teenage girls and young women. Like ''Vogue'', it included stories about fashion and ...
'', called "Traitor" "flawless", and remarked that the song had a "
Kacey Musgraves
Kacey Lee Musgraves (born August 21, 1988) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She began her career in the early 2000s, when she self-released three solo albums and recorded another album as a member of the duo Texas Two Bits. In 20 ...
-esque light-
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk horror
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Fo ...
backdrop".
Tatiana Tenreyro of ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...
'' called the song "
odrigo'smost vulnerable song yet".
''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'' Rhian Daly described the song as "gorgeous".
Larisha Paul from ''Billboard'' praised the song, deeming it to feature Rodrigo's "best vocal performance" throughout ''Sour''.
As the song is sandwiched between two emotionally heavy tracks with heavy production, Larisha Paul of ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' called the song a "chilling contrast" that features Rodrigo's best vocal performance on the album.
''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
''
's Angie Martoccio also called the song as the "long-lost cousin" of
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Known for her autobiographical songwriting, artistic versatility, and Cultural impact of Taylor Swift, cultural impact, Swift is one of the Best selling artists, w ...
's 2020 song, "
My Tears Ricochet".
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's 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!'".
The song landed at number seven on the
UK Singles Chart, before rising and peaking at number five the following week.
On ''Billboard''
Global 200
The Global 200 is the list of ecoregions identified by the World Wide Fund for Nature ( WWF), the global conservation organization, as priorities for conservation. According to WWF, an ecoregion is defined as a "relatively large unit of land or w ...
chart, the song peaked at number seven. "Traitor" also charted within the top 10 in Australia,
Canada, Ireland,
and New Zealand,
and within the top 20 in Norway.
Additionally, the song has been certified 2× Platinum in the United Kingdom,
3× Platinum in New Zealand,
4× Platinum in Australia,
5× Platinum in Canada,
and 4× Platinum the United States.
Live performances
"Traitor" received its debut performance on June 26, 2021, as part of the release of Rodrigo's concert film ''Sour Prom''. Later, she performed the song at the
iHeartRadio Music Festival on September 17–18, 2021, in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
, Austin City Limits on October 2, 2021, as well as on
Jimmy Kimmel Live and at the 2021 American Music Awards. An acoustic performance was featured on Rodrigo's documentary film ''Driving Home 2 U: A Sour Film'', released on March 25, 2022, on
Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
. Olivia also performed "traitor" which was featured in her Tiny Desk Performance on the NPR Music YouTube channel on December 7, 2021. "Traitor" and was also featured for Dolby Atmos where she "experienced" the song in Dolby Audio. She performed this song on her SOUR Tour, where it was usually sandwiched between “Favorite Crime” and “Deja Vu”.
Music video
A music video for "Traitor", directed by
Olivia Bee, was released on October 21, 2021.
She promoted the video on Instagram with the caption "surprise! traitor mv out now!"
The music video received a nomination for
Best Pop Video at the
2022 MTV Video Music Awards.
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from the
liner notes
Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards.
Origin
Liner notes are descended from the prog ...
of ''Sour''.
Recording
* Recorded at Amusement Studios (Los Angeles)
* Mixed at SOTA Studios (Los Angeles)
* Mastered at
Sterling Sound
George Marino (April 15, 1947June 4, 2012) was an American mastering engineer known for working on albums by rock bands starting in the late 1960s.
Biography
Marino was born on April 15, 1947, in the New York City borough The Bronx. He attended ...
(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
Randy Merrill is an American mastering engineer who has worked with international artists including Blink-182, DAY6, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Maroon 5, Harry Styles, One Direction, Adele, Imagine Dragons, Beck, Liam Gallagher, Jonas Brothers, Muse ...
mastering
* Mitch McCarthy mixing
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
Footnotes
References
External links
*
*
{{Olivia Rodrigo
2020s ballads
2021 singles
2021 songs
Geffen Records singles
Olivia Rodrigo songs
Pop ballads
Rock ballads
Song recordings produced by Dan Nigro
Songs written by Dan Nigro
Songs written by Olivia Rodrigo
Indie pop songs
Breakup songs