Indie Musician Thinks Olivia Rodrigo's 'SNL' Performance Was Stolen From Her— 'Give Credit Where It's Due'
Where's the line when it comes to creative output?
Kathy Hutchins / shutterstock Olivia Rodrigo’s second appearance on "Saturday Night Live" on December 9, 2023, is making waves on the music scene, but not in the way she may have expected.
A “DIY indie-pop artist” who goes by the name Noelle Sucks took to social media to raise alarms over similarities in the art direction of Rodrigo’s performance of “All-American [Expletive]” and her own song, “Your Mom Calls Me.”
The indie musician believes Olivia Rodrigo stole the concept for her 'SNL' performance from her work.
In a series of TikTok posts, Noelle claimed that Rodrigo’s creative team plagiarized the setting, art direction and general vibe of a music video she made in 2022. Noelle cushioned her accusation in the caption, writing, “love u Olivia Rodrigo, but ur team stole my brain on this one.”
She featured side-by-side clips of both performances, stating, “So, I’m pretty sure my art got stolen and put on 'Saturday Night Live' for Olivia Rodrigo’s most recent 'SNL' performance.” In the footage, both Rodrigo and Noelle are sitting at a tea party, complete with similar choreography.
“I conceptualized, directed, edited, and set [and] prop designed this video,” Noelle explained. “Everything is just really close,” she said.
Noelle detailed the steps she took after watching Rodrigo on "SNL," which further fueled her suspicions.
“First I found the creative director,” whose name is Tarik Mikou, she shared. “Immediately I see that we have a friend in common, a friend who has publicly posted my music on his social media.”
Noelle noted that Mikou turned off comments on his Instagram account, which led her to his production company’s Instagram account, which also disabled comments. “Then I see that his immediate next move is to unfollow any evidence we were ever linked on social media, that could have [seen] me through my friend,” she continued.
Noelle approached the creative director for Rodrigo’s "SNL" performance by sending him a DM on Instagram, asking for an explanation as to why the footage was so similar. She said, “At this point, I’m like, ‘I’m just gonna confront this guy and give him a chance to explain how this could possibly be a coincidence.” She reported that she’s yet to receive any response from Mikou or his team.
Noelle made a proclamation to 'SNL' about artistic property, stating, 'Give credit where it’s due, or hire me next time.'
She posted a separate TikTok comparing clips from her music video to Rodrigo, saying, “It’s like, the movement of the camera, the attitude, the sarcasm, the spiking of the camera … the colors and the dancers’ movements, there’s so much you could do at a table that isn’t that.”
In a world where so few artists find monetary success, Noelle made a valuable point as part of a wider conversation on intellectual content and citing credit. As she said in an Instagram post, “I put everything I have out of my pockets into my art since day 1, so I have to talk about this one. Don’t be whack, just hire me next time.”
Noelle was careful not to outright accuse Rodrigo herself, but rather her team, for mismanaging how the performance was credited. Unfortunately, smaller-scale artists’ work is constantly mined by larger artists. We’ve seen evidence of it in the Kardashian’s fashion lines and beyond.
All artists, especially ones still hustling to get traction in their industry, deserve to be compensated and credited for what they do. By calling out the higher-ups at "SNL" and on Rodrigo’s team, Noelle is taking a stand for the sake of her art.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers celebrity gossip, pop culture trends, and all things to do with the entertainment industry.