Who is 'Lacy' in Olivia Rodrigo's new song?

Olivia Rodrigo told Rolling Stone for her October cover issue that “it’s not my job to interpret [her songs] for other people.” But that hasn’t stopped fans from sharing their theories online about the song "lacy".

The 20-year-old singer-songwriter and actress released her sophomore album Guts earlier this month, two years after her debut album SOUR. The singer’s “diaristic” writing style has made her prone to probes into her private life, similar to other female artists like Taylor Swift, with press and fans alike questioning who inspired her songs.

Upon releasing her album, the track “lacy” in particular has garnered a lot of attention from fans who have tons of theories about who the “smart, sexy,” “Bridget [Bardot] reincarnate” is. Rodrigo explained in an interview with WIRED that the song started as a poem she wrote for a college class that she later turned into a song, however, she did not go into detail about who or what Lacy is.

The top theories circulating the internet at the moment are that the track could be about Madison Beer, Gracie Abrams or Sabrina Carpenter.

However, other viral theories also posit that the song is a metaphorical personification of an eating disorder and the struggle to be “perfect,” themes that extend to other album tracks like “all-American b*tch” and “pretty isn't pretty.”

Many have linked the song to singer-songwriter Madison Beer, 24, because she often wears “ribbons in her hair” and has said the late French actress Bridget Bardot is one of her style icons.

Rodrigo’s lyrics: “Smart, sexy Lack, I’m losin’ it lately / I feel you compliments like bullets on skin / Dazzling starlet, Bardot reincarnate / Well, aren’t you the greatest thing to ever exist?”

The song continues: “Ohh, I care, I care, I care / Like ribbons in your hair, my stomach’s all in knots / You got the one thing that I want.” 

Many also noted that Beer dated Zack Bia, 27, on and off for two years before splitting in 2019. Rodrigo was spotted on multiple occasions with Bia earlier in the year, with many believing that he inspired Rodrigo's “vampire.”

In “vampire,” Rodrigo writes: “I should’ve known it was strange / You only come out at night / I used to think I was smart / But you made me look so naive,” later saying “The way you sold me for parts / As you sunk your teeth into me, oh / Bloodsucker, famef**ker / Bleeding my dry like a g*ddamn vampire.”

Later in the song Rodrio says: “You went for me and not her / Because girls your age know better.”

“Writing this song helped me sort through lots of feelings of regret, anger and heartache. It’s one of my favorite songs on the album and it felt very cathartic to finish,” she wrote on Instagram at the time. 

After Beer and Bia’s breakup, she released her hit single “Selfish.” Many have circled back to the song, noting similar themes about the person described in "Selfish" and "vampire."

Beer wrote in “Selfish”: “I bet you thought you gave me real love / But we spent it all in nightclubs / All you ever wanna do is lie / Why you always such a Gemini?” 

Bia’s birthday is June 9, which makes him a Gemini sun.

Later in the song, Beer says: “Shouldn't love, you, but I couldn’t help it / Had a feeling that you never felt it / I always knew that you were too damn selfish.”

While some try to pit them against each other, Beer has continuously praised Rodrigo and her music.

“I love Olivia Rodrigo,” Beer told WIRED. “I think she’s so talented. I think her music is incredible, and she’s so pretty and cute and sweet-seeming. I don’t know her, but she seems adorable.”

Rodrigo also told Rolling Stone—in response to the feuds she went through with various artists after releasing her debut album, in which the young pop star ended up having to retroactively credit and give royalties to established stars including Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff, St. Vincent and Paramore’s Hayley Williams and Josh Farro—that she “doesn’t have beef” with people. 

Another theory is that the song is about Rodrigo’s friend and fellow singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams. Abrams, 24, was the opening act on Rodrigo’s SOUR tour, and is currently an opening act on Swift’s Eras Tour. 

Abrams is frequently spotted with “ribbons in her hair,” and many believe Abrams “got the one thing” that Rodrigo “wants,” which is a friendship with superstar Swift. Rodrigo has previously said that Swift is a major inspiriation to her, however the two star's relationship has reportedly gone sour after their public feud over song credits and royalties. 

Alluding to similar themes as Abrams, some fans suggest that Lacy is about Sabrina Carpenter who was also tapped as an opening act for Swift’s international Era’s Tour. Swift has described Carpenter, 24, as a “sweet angel princess.” Many noted that Carpenter has similar features to Bardot who Rodrigo describes in the song as a “starlet” with an “angel face." Not unlike the other female stars, Carpenter has worn ribbons in her hair on numerous occasions.

Some also suggest that the Lacy lyric “I feel your compliments like bullets on skin” may allude to Carpenter’s single “Skin,” which she wrote in response to rumors that Rodrigo’s “driver’s license” was about her.

In Skin, Carpenter wrote: "Maybe we could've been friends / If I met you in another life / Maybe then we could pretend / There's no gravity in the words we write / Maybe you didn't mean it / Maybe blonde was the only rhyme."

She continues in the chorus: "You can try / To get under my, under my, under my skin / While he's on mine."