Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album “Sour,” released on May 21, is definitely the best album of the summer.

The album’s energetic pop punk songs and pop ballads center on the experiences of being a teenager: adolescence, young love, and heartache.

It has clear influences from some of Rodrigo’s favorite artists: Taylor Swift, Lorde, and Alanis Morissette to name a few.

With its honest lyrics and musical versatility, “Sour” is an album that has something for everyone. It’s an album that is easy to connect to, especially for members of Generation Z.

I’m happy that this album is doing so well and that so many people have been able to connect to it and enjoy it.

Most of all, I’m happy that Rodrigo gets to express all the good, bad, and ugly emotions that come with being a teenager with a full availability of the English language.

Yes, I’m talking about the fact that she curses in the album, shedding the image all Disney stars have had to uphold: one of kindness and innocence.

With “Sour,” Rodrigo gets to be unapologetically sad, angry, passive-aggressive, and whatever other way she was feeling while working on this album.

With Rodrigo being a Disney star, it is pleasantly surprising to see her proudly sing lyrics like “An eternal love bulls**t you know you’ll never mean,” and “Where’s my f**king teenage dream?”

She has been able to make a body of work that exists on its own without being limited by her connection to Disney, and that is a success on its own.

I’m sure we are all familiar with the ways ex-Disney stars like Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, and Selena Gomez struggled to shed their Disney image without criticism and shock from the public.

I’m glad that we live in an age where we get to see Disney stars present themselves to the public as who they are, not who Disney wants them to be.

I think Rodrigo’s success shows the beginning of a shift within the world of Disney, a shift that will hopefully help future Disney stars be themselves while still holding down jobs on PG-rated T.V. series and Disney Channel original movies.

I hope Rodrigo’s success will mean an end to the short leash Disney has on all its stars.

On that note, I truly believe that Olivia Rodrigo is the future of the music industry, and I cannot wait to see what she does next.

Kyara Morales-Rodriguez is a junior English major. She can be reached at 581-2812 or knmoralesrodriguez@eiu.edu.