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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Olivia Hebert

Zach Bia denies that Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Vampire’ is about him: ‘There was never any drama’

Getty Images for MTV

Zack Bia has said that he doesn’t think ex-girlfriend Olivia Rodrigo’s song “Vampire” is about him because he believes that their relationship was not “breakup-track-worthy”.

In an interview with GQ, the DJ got candid about the rumours and speculation swirling around him in light of the recent release of his ex-girlfriend and pop-rock star Olivia Rodrigo’s sophomore album, Guts. Rodrigo’s first single “Vampire,” a heartbreak ballad about a manipulative ex, made waves when it was released earlier in the summer. But upon release, many fans speculated about who inspired the song.

TikTok detectives reportedly pointed fingers collectively towards Bia, who Rodrigo dated for six months in 2022, along with Rodrigo’s only other publicly known ex, Adam Faze, who the singer dated the year prior. Lyrics like “I should’ve known it was strange / You only come out at night” were some of the evidence that led fans to conclude that the song was about Bia.

“I don’t think it’s really about me,” the DJ told the magazine. “I think the internet just ran with it.”

However, although he doesn’t believe the song is about him, he does appreciate how “awesome” it is.

“The song’s so big and so awesome,” he expressed his admiration to GQ, commending Rodrigo’s industry savviness. “Look, a heartbreak song for the summertime, it’s an undefeated formula.”

The Drake-backed DJ also continued to compliment his singer-songwriter ex, saying: “Look, the momentum of a song is so special. I think Olivia is a generational songwriter. I think she’s a generational talent. I’m always just proud of her continued accomplishments.”

He also reportedly denied that their breakup was “breakup-track-worthy” and pointed out that he may only be a fraction of the inspiration, doubling down and stating, “Look, I’m in the industry so I know how a song gets made. We hung out, we’re both busy, and we ended up not furthering our relationship. There was never any drama, you know?”

While Bia may stand by the theory that fans have got the wrong man in mind, according to GQ, sources familiar with Rodrigo’s songwriting process told the outlet, “I don’t know if that’s exactly true.” Rodrigo for her part recently told The Guardian that she “never want[s] to say who any of my songs are about,” and will likely never shut down the speculation swirling around the DJ herself.

Whether or not Bia is the reported “fame-****er” in her song, the former club promoter does have a history of dating starlets. He’s previously dated Outer Banks’ Madelyn Cline, Rodrigo, and Madison Beer, who confirmed the songs she wrote about him, including the heart-wrenching “Selfish.”

Blind item gossip influencer Deux Moi dubbed Bia the “It Girl King” for his reported string of relationships. Bia also told GQ that he was fittingly offered the role of Jocelyn’s ex-boyfriend on HBO’s The Idol, which he said he declined. Given his reputation and dating history, Bia has been the subject of many TikTok think pieces.

“Any time I’ve been speculatively the subject of a song, or the focus of a TikTok trend, whether grounded in reality or not, it’s like, it’s never been up to me to address it because the scale of it is so widespread,” he acknowledged to the outlet. “100 million people have heard this song. The only thing I can address is my own life. I can control what my friends think and the creative output that I have and things like that.”

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