Watch Natalie Imbruglia Join Olivia Rodrigo On “Torn” In London
Olivia Rodrigo is currently on her first-ever tour, and given that she’s only got one half-hour album to her name, she needs enough material for a full headlining show. Maybe that’s why Rodrigo has been covering hits of the ’90s and ’00s at so many of her shows. But even if those cover songs are as much a practical consideration as anything else, it’s still a blast to see Rodrigo beaming her way through something like Veruca Salt’s “Seether” or No Doubt’s “Just A Girl.” Sometimes, Rodrigo has brought out the original stars to sing those songs with her. She’s sung “You Oughta Know” with Alanis Morissette and “Complicated” with Avril Lavigne. And last night in London, Rodrigo joined forces with Natalie Imbruglia.
On Sunday night, after playing Manchester’s O2 Arena, Olivia Rodrigo visited a local bar called Bunny Jackson’s and sang “Torn,” the song that was a massive hit for Natalie Imbruglia in 1997, six years before Rodrigo herself was born. Maybe that was the warm-up. Last night, Rodrigo played London’s Eventim Apollo. Near the end of the set, she brought Natalie Imbruglia to the stage, and the two of them sang “Torn” together. (Given that “Torn” was written and recorded by the Los Angeles band Ednaswap, it’s fair to say that both Rodrigo and Imbruglia were covering “Torn” last night.)
The fan-made videos of Olivia Rodrigo and Natalie Imbruglia’s duet are just delightful. For one thing, even in lo-res videos taken from the back of the venue, you can see both artists smiling from ear to ear. For another thing, the people in this London crowd, many of whom are presumably too young to remember when “Torn” was all over the radio, know all the words and belt it out with gusto. Watch a couple of videos below.