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Favorite Crime
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"Favorite Crime"
Vevo's "Official Live Performance" cover
Song by Olivia Rodrigo
from the album Sour
WrittenSeptember 2020
ReleasedMay 21, 2021
RecordedSeptember 2020
StudioAmusement (Los Angeles)
Genre
Length2:32
LabelGeffen
Songwriters
ProducerDan Nigro
Lyric video
"Favorite Crime" on YouTube

"Favorite Crime" (stylized in all lowercase) is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo. It is the tenth track on Rodrigo's debut album Sour, which was released on May 21, 2021, through Geffen Records. It is a folk-pop and indie pop ballad, written by Rodrigo and its producer Dan Nigro.

Upon release, the song charted within the top 10 in New Zealand and Ireland, and within the top 20 in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The song was also certified triple Platinum in Australia, Canada, and the United States, and double Platinum in New Zealand. The song received its debut performance as part of Vevo's Lift series on May 25, 2021.

Background and release

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American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo released her debut single "Drivers License" in January 2021, to critical acclaim.[1] On April 1, 2021, Rodrigo announced that her debut album, at that time known by the placeholder title *O*R, was set to be released on May 21, 2021.[2] On April 13, Rodrigo confirmed the album title to be Sour. Alongside the confirmation, the track listing was revealed, which included "Favorite Crime" as the tenth track.[3]

"Favorite Crime" was released as part of Sour on May 21, 2021, alongside a lyric video.[4]

Composition and promotion

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"Favorite Crime" was written by Rodrigo and Dan Nigro in 2020.[5] The song is a stripped-down folk-pop and indie pop ballad.[6][7][8] The song runs for a total length of 2 minutes and 32 seconds.[9] The song features Rodrigo "singing over fingerpicked guitar figures in [a] sweetly folky style".[10] The lyrics of the song center around "the examination of glaring red flags that only appear in their true colors through the lens of hindsight".[11] The song has been compared to American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift's 2020 albums Folklore and Evermore,[7] and the harmonies have been compared to that of New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde's "Royals" (2013).[6]

The song received its debut performance on May 25, 2021, as part of Vevo's Lift series. In the performance, Rodrigo sings the song while on a rooftop, alongside backup singers and a guitar player.[12][13]

Commercial performance

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In the United States, on the week dated June 5, 2021, "Favorite Crime" debuted at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100, accompanied by 10 other tracks on Sour.[14] The following week, it rose to number 16.[15] It fell to number 26 on the week dated June 19 and number 43 the following week. It has spent a total of 11 weeks on the chart.[16] On the Rolling Stone Top 100, it was one of nine songs on Sour to chart in the top 10, debuting at number 8, selling 166,800 units with 20.8 million streams in its first week.[17] It rose to number 6 the next week, with 149,100 units sold and 18.8 million streams;[18] it has spent 11 weeks on the Rolling Stone Top 100 and is still currently charting as of August 2021.[19] It debuted at number 8 on the Streaming Songs chart,[20] where it eventually peaked at number 6.[21] Internationally, it peaked at number 6 in New Zealand,[22] number 8 in Ireland,[23] number 13 in Australia,[24] 14 in Canada,[25] 17 in the United Kingdom,[26] 21 in Norway,[27] and 76 in Sweden.[28] The song also peaked at number 14 on Billboard's Global 200 chart.[29] "Favorite Crime" has been certified triple Platinum in the US by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Australia by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and Canada by Music Canada, and certified double Platinum in New Zealand by Recorded Music NZ.[30][31][32][33]

Critical reception

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Bobby Oliver, writing for Spin, described "Favorite Crime" as "superb" and "showstopp[ing]",[7] while Maura Johnston of Entertainment Weekly labelled the harmonies as "spectral".[6] However, Billboard critic Larisha Paul ranked the song last out of all 11 songs on Sour.[11]

Credits and personnel

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Credits adapted from the liner notes of Sour and Tidal.[5][34]

Recording

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  • Recorded at Amusement Studios (Los Angeles)
  • Mixed at SOTA Studios (Los Angeles)
  • Mastered at Sterling Sound (New York City)

Personnel

[edit]
  • Olivia Rodrigo – vocals, songwriting, vocal arrangement
  • Dan Nigro – songwriting, production, recording, vocal arrangement, acoustic guitar, bass, Juno 60
  • Randy Merrill – mastering
  • Mitch McCarthy – mixing
  • Ryan Linvill – saxophone, assistant engineering
  • Kathleen – vocal arrangement

Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications for "Favorite Crime"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[31] 3× Platinum 210,000
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[45] Diamond 160,000
Canada (Music Canada)[32] 3× Platinum 240,000
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[46] Gold 45,000
France (SNEP)[47] Gold 100,000
Mexico (AMPROFON)[48] 2× Platinum+Gold 350,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)[33] 2× Platinum 60,000
Norway (IFPI Norway)[49] Gold 30,000
Poland (ZPAV)[50] Platinum 50,000
Portugal (AFP)[51] Gold 5,000
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[52] Platinum 60,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[53] Platinum 600,000
United States (RIAA)[30] 3× Platinum 3,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
"favorite crime" (stylized in all lowercase) is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo, serving as the tenth track on her debut studio album, SOUR, which was released on May 21, 2021, through Geffen Records. The track, co-written and produced by Dan Nigro, runs for 2:32 minutes and features a stripped-down production with acoustic guitar, bass, and a Roland Juno 60 synthesizer, creating a folky pop ballad sound. Lyrically, it employs crime metaphors—drawing parallels to a Bonnie and Clyde-style partnership—to explore themes of regret, betrayal, and self-complicity in a dysfunctional relationship, where Rodrigo admits to ignoring red flags and enabling her mistreatment out of deep love. Inspired by a personal note from summer 2020, the song highlights Rodrigo's growth in using extended metaphors, as she noted in her SOUR diary. Upon the album's release, "favorite crime" debuted at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and later peaked at number 16 in the United States, contributing to SOUR's record-breaking chart dominance with all 11 tracks entering the chart's top 30. It also reached number 19 on Spotify's UK Top 50 chart, underscoring its global appeal amid the album's critical and commercial success.

Background and development

Conception and writing

"Favorite Crime" originated from Olivia Rodrigo's reflections on her personal experiences in toxic relationships, where she grappled with feelings of complicity in her own emotional pain, often positioning herself as an enabler of a partner's harmful actions due to deep affection. In interviews, Rodrigo has described the song's autobiographical core, emphasizing how she portrayed herself as both victim and willing participant in the relational "crime," allowing mistreatment because "I loved you so bad." This theme of self-accountability amid heartbreak underscores the track's introspective narrative, drawn directly from a real-life breakup that fueled much of her debut album Sour. Rodrigo co-wrote "Favorite Crime" with producer and collaborator in the summer of 2020, as part of the intensive songwriting sessions for Sour amid the . The process began when arrived at one of their early collaborative meetings with a single line already in mind—"Know I loved you so bad, I let you treat me like that"—which she had jotted in her notes app and couldn't shake. Together, they expanded this seed into a full composition, with Nigro providing melodic structure and instrumental ideas to complement Rodrigo's raw lyrical vulnerability. During these sessions, the song's central naturally emerged as a framework to explore the dynamics of and self-blame, transforming the personal into a broader of as a punishable offense. Rodrigo later expressed pride in this figurative approach, noting it marked a growth in her songwriting from literal storytelling to more symbolic expression, where she cast the relationship as a shared transgression with herself as the "accomplice." This metaphorical layer allowed her to convey the of enabling a partner's wrongs while seeking emotional .

Recording process

The recording of "Favorite Crime" took place primarily at Amusement Studios in , , as part of the broader sessions for Olivia Rodrigo's debut album Sour, which began in March 2020 during the lockdown. Producer , who also co-wrote the track with Rodrigo, handled the recording engineering at this location. The song features an acoustic guitar-led arrangement, with additional contributions including Juno 60 and bass from Nigro, and from assistant engineer Ryan Linvill, creating a sparse, intimate . provided lead and backing vocals, arranged with input from vocal arranger Kathleen, emphasizing layered harmonies to heighten emotional depth. Nigro's production choices focused on minimalistic folk elements to underscore the song's themes of , balancing 's lyric-driven approach with subtle melodic textures for a raw, confessional feel. Post-production involved mixing by Mitch McCarthy at SOTA Studios in , which polished the track's delicate dynamics without overpowering its intimacy. Mastering was completed by at Sterling Sound in New York, ensuring clarity across formats for the album's May 2021 release.

Music and lyrics

Musical composition

"Favorite Crime" is classified as a incorporating indie influences, characterized by its stripped-back arrangement featuring fingerpicked , bass, , and subtle . The song is composed in the key of and maintains a of 173 beats per minute, creating a slow, pace that emphasizes emotional depth. The track employs a conventional verse-chorus structure augmented by a bridge, beginning with sparse in the verses that gradually builds intensity toward the choruses through added layers of harmonies and subtle percussion. This progression from minimalistic openings to fuller, more dynamic peaks mirrors sensibilities, evoking a sense of vulnerability and escalation. Produced by , the arrangement highlights acoustic elements and restrained dynamics to support the song's intimate atmosphere. Rodrigo's vocal performance features a breathy, emotive delivery that conveys raw intimacy, particularly in the verses, while the choruses incorporate multi-layered harmonies to amplify the emotional release. This vocal approach, combined with the song's folk-inspired production, aligns with broader traditions seen in contemporary artists.

Lyrical themes and analysis

"Favorite Crime" employs a central likening a toxic relationship to a , with the narrator positioning herself as both victim and willing accomplice to her partner's betrayal. This imagery draws on Bonnie and Clyde-style criminal partnership, where the narrator admits to ignoring red flags out of intense love, as in the line "I know that I loved you so bad, I let you treat me like that." The song's stripped-down folk arrangement underscores this introspective narrative, allowing the to evoke a sense of quiet complicity and aftermath. Key lyrics delve into and self-blame, exemplified by "I was your willing accomplice, honey / You used me as an ," which illustrates the narrator's role in enabling the partner's while grappling with her own . has noted that this verse originated from a raw entry in her notes app, highlighting her evolution toward more metaphorical songwriting to process personal devastation. The chorus reinforces betrayal's sting with "Do you have any idea how much it stings? / Now you bring me the deepest cuts," portraying the emotional wounds as deliberate acts in this relational "heist." Thematically, the song explores toxic love and betrayal through the lens of unequal dynamics, where the narrator's devotion amplifies the hurt, yet it culminates in via reflection and self-forgiveness. describes heartbreak as a "," emphasizing that "you couldn’t have gotten your if you didn’t put yourself in the position to be hurt," underscoring mutual responsibility and the need to forgive oneself. This ties into Sour's broader motif of post-breakup , but "Favorite Crime" uniquely focuses on the narrator's internal rather than outward . In interviews, has shared that writing the track was part of her healing process, transforming raw pain into art that now feels empowering to perform, as she gains distance from the "devastation" that inspired it. Co-writer contributed to refining its structure, helping craft a that balances with growth, as evidenced by the closing line "One heart broke, four hands bloody."

Release and promotion

Album inclusion and single status

"Favorite Crime" serves as the tenth track on Olivia Rodrigo's debut studio album SOUR, which was released on May 21, 2021, by . The song was not issued as a traditional single, lacking any formal radio promotion or standalone commercial release, but it quickly accumulated streams through its inclusion on the album. Its debut coincided with SOUR's launch, where it benefited from organic placements on major streaming platforms' editorial playlists, such as Spotify's "This Is Olivia Rodrigo" and Apple Music's curated selections. The track adheres to the album's stylistic conventions, featuring an all-lowercase title that aligns with Rodrigo's branding across SOUR. This aesthetic choice integrates seamlessly into the album's overarching visual identity, characterized by raw, emotive imagery evoking themes of adolescent turmoil and , as seen in the promotional and artwork. Following the album's initial release, "Favorite Crime" has not received an official or variant treatment as a single. It remains a core component of SOUR in subsequent editions, including deluxe physical formats with additional like posters, and has been retained in reissues such as the second-anniversary vinyl released in 2023.

Promotional activities

"Favorite Crime" was promoted alongside Olivia Rodrigo's debut album Sour, which was released on May 21, 2021, through . The track featured in virtual listening parties and album launch events in May 2021, such as the Apple Music-hosted first listen event on May 20, 2021, where Rodrigo previewed songs from Sour with host . These events built anticipation and introduced audiences to the album's themes of heartbreak and embodied in "Favorite Crime." A lyric video for "Favorite Crime" was released on May 20, 2021, via Rodrigo's official YouTube channel, providing a visual accompaniment to the song's introspective lyrics just ahead of the album's launch. In post-release media appearances, Rodrigo discussed the song's themes in interviews, including a December 2021 Music Week feature where she elaborated on her songwriting process and the vulnerability behind Sour's lyrics, portraying "Favorite Crime" as a metaphor for complicity in a toxic relationship. Digital campaigns further amplified the song's reach, with curating promotional playlists tied to Sour's prom-inspired aesthetic, encouraging fan engagement through shared heartbreak narratives. A key initiative was the official "SOUR prom" on June 29, 2021, streamed on , where performed select tracks from Sour, recreating a high school experience to connect with fans. The event, announced via 's , included performances of multiple Sour tracks and exclusive merch, fostering interactive promotion. Additionally, the song's chorus inspired challenges on platforms like , where fans recreated its emotional delivery, contributing to viral spread in 2021. Retrospective promotions continued in subsequent years, with "Favorite Crime" highlighted in Sour's content. For the album's second in 2023, issued a limited-edition vinyl exclusively through Rodrigo's official store, reintroducing the track to longtime fans. In , marked the third with an story reflection on Sour, underscoring the enduring appeal of songs like "Favorite Crime." For the fourth on May 21, 2025, shared a thank-you message to fans and participated in a Stationhead listening party, celebrating the album's impact. By late 2025, the track received renewed attention through inclusions in tour memorabilia, such as the book released via the official store, which featured images and details from performances of Sour selections during the 2023–2024 tour. This commemorative edition provided fans with behind-the-scenes insights into 's evolution, linking back to earlier works like "Favorite Crime."

Commercial performance

Chart achievements

"Favorite Crime" debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 18 on the chart dated June 5, 2021, and reached a peak position of number 16 the following week. The track spent a total of 13 weeks on the Hot 100, primarily driven by streaming activity from the album Sour. Internationally, the song achieved strong chart performance, peaking at number 6 on the New Zealand Top 40 Singles chart. It reached number 8 on the Irish Singles Chart, number 13 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart, and number 17 on the UK Singles Chart. By November 2025, the song had amassed over 1.4 billion streams on , reflecting sustained popularity fueled by Sour's overall success and algorithmic placements, despite not receiving dedicated promotion as a single. The track experienced a resurgence in streams during 2024 and 2025, partly attributed to viral usage in content.

Certifications and sales

"Favorite Crime" has received multiple certifications across various countries, recognizing its strong sales and streaming performance as an album track from Sour. In the United States, the (RIAA) certified the song 2× Platinum in 2023, equivalent to 2 million units. It has also earned 3× Platinum status in both , awarded by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), and , certified by . In , (RMNZ) bestowed a 2× Platinum certification as of 2023. The track achieved Gold certification in the from the (BPI) as of 2022.
RegionCertifying BodyCertificationCertified Units
RIAA2× Platinum2,000,000
AustraliaARIA3× Platinum210,000
Music Canada3× Platinum240,000
New ZealandRMNZ2× Platinum60,000
BPI400,000
These certifications account for digital downloads, physical (including those bundled with Sour), and streaming equivalents, where 1,500 on-demand audio and/or video streams equal one unit. In the , digital downloads of the single total approximately 200,000. Globally, "Favorite Crime" has contributed to Sour's success, with the album surpassing 22 million equivalent album units worldwide as of 2025.

Reception and legacy

Critical reviews

Upon its release as part of Olivia Rodrigo's debut album Sour in May 2021, "Favorite Crime" garnered praise from critics for its emotional depth and metaphorical lyrics depicting a toxic relationship as a shared crime. highlighted Rodrigo's mature introspection in the track, noting how she "assumes mature responsibility for her own heartbreak against the fairy-fingered guitar picking of 'favorite crime.'" described the song as employing a "sinister ," commending its contribution to the album's blend of melancholy and mischief. ranked it among Rodrigo's stronger works, appreciating its exploration of self-blame in love with lines like "You used me as an alibi / I crossed my heart as you crossed the line," which capture the difficulty of moving past relational harm. The album as a whole, including "Favorite Crime," helped earn Sour an aggregate score of 83/100 on based on 20 reviews, reflecting broad acclaim for Rodrigo's songwriting authenticity. In retrospectives tied to Rodrigo's 2023 album Guts and its accompanying world tour, "Favorite Crime" has been re-evaluated as a highlight for its intimate vulnerability, particularly in live settings where its acoustic arrangement fosters emotional connection with audiences. described it as a "wounded acoustic song" about misguided love, emphasizing how performances amplify its raw heartbreak. praised Rodrigo's seamless delivery of the track during the tour, calling it part of an "astonishing balancing act" that underscores her and emotional sincerity.

Cultural impact and covers

"Favorite Crime" has emerged as a significant cultural touchstone for , encapsulating the emotional turmoil of toxic relationships and the struggle against self-blame in romantic entanglements. The song's introspective lyrics, which portray love as a shared with lines like "Doe-eyed as you buried me/One heart broken, four hands bloody," resonate deeply with young audiences navigating complex dynamics of and . Rodrigo's raw exploration of these themes positions the track as a key example of her influence on contemporary songwriting, where personal accountability amid heartbreak fosters a sense of cathartic release. The song's impact extends through fan engagement and reinterpretations, including notable covers that highlight its versatility. In 2022, singer reimagined "Favorite Crime" as a sultry, soulful , emphasizing its emotional depth in a stripped-down arrangement. More recently, in March 2025, contestant Simone Marijic delivered a compelling rendition on season 27 of The Voice, earning a chair turn from coach and drawing praise for capturing the song's haunting intimacy. These performances underscore the track's adaptability in user-generated and professional contexts, amplifying its role in broader discussions of relational empowerment. By 2025, retrospectives on Rodrigo's career affirm "Favorite Crime"'s lasting resonance, linking its confessional style from the 2021 album Sour to her artistic growth in GUTS (2023), where bolder narratives build on similar themes of self-reflection. The song's inclusion in the GUTS World Tour setlist, where audiences sing along fervently, illustrates its evolution into a communal anthem, bridging Rodrigo's early heartbreak anthems with her maturing pop-rock sound. This enduring appeal cements its place in Rodrigo's oeuvre as a symbol of Gen Z's emotional authenticity in love and loss.

Performances and media

Live performances

"Favorite Crime" debuted live as a stripped-down acoustic performance in Olivia Rodrigo's Lift series on May 25, 2021, showcasing the song's intimate style from its original recording on the album SOUR . The track became a staple in Rodrigo's live during her in 2022, where it was performed with a fuller band arrangement across North American and European dates, evolving from its acoustic origins to emphasize dynamic instrumentation . It continued to feature prominently on the GUTS World Tour from 2024 to 2025, with adaptations that highlighted Rodrigo's amid high-energy production, including appearances in over 50 shows worldwide . In 2025, delivered notable renditions at several major festivals and events, including in on March 30, in on March 28, Mad Cool Festival in on July 12, and an American Express-sponsored show in on October 24 . Throughout these performances, "Favorite Crime" has often been presented in acoustic or semi-acoustic formats to foster intimacy, particularly during emotional peaks where audience sing-alongs create a shared, experience, as observed in tour footage and earlier shows .

Videos and visuals

The lyric video for "favorite crime" was released on May 20, 2021, via Olivia Rodrigo's official YouTube channel, featuring simple animated text overlays synchronized with the song's lyrics against a backdrop of moody, atmospheric visuals that evoke introspection and emotional tension. This visual presentation aligns with the promotional rollout of Rodrigo's debut album SOUR, emphasizing the track's themes through subtle, minimalist animation rather than elaborate production. Unlike many singles from SOUR, "favorite crime" did not receive an official , instead drawing on the album's overarching visual identity of raw teenage and pastel-tinged , supplemented by and live captures to extend its online presence. By 2025, this approach had evolved with the inclusion of curated footage compilations from Rodrigo's , where performances of the song were integrated into high-production fan edits and official streams, such as the special documenting tour highlights. A key early visual component was the LIFT live performance video, released on May 25, 2021, which captured delivering the song in a simulated teenage setting in , complete with soft lighting and personal artifacts to mirror the track's narrative of quiet reflection and relational fallout. The intimate staging enhanced the song's emotional delivery, focusing on 's expressive vocals and minimal without additional effects. In 2025, fan-recorded clips from festival appearances, such as Rodrigo's set at the Mad Cool Festival in on July 12, gained significant traction online, with multiple uploads amassing thousands of views and shares on platforms like and for their raw, crowd-immersed energy. These videos, often featuring close-up shots of Rodrigo's dynamic stage presence amid vibrant festival lighting, contributed to renewed viral interest in the song's visuals during the ongoing GUTS tour extensions. Overall, the visual content for "favorite crime" maintains a consistent dark, cinematic aesthetic that echoes the song's crime motif through shadowed tones and narrative-driven imagery, prioritizing emotional authenticity over spectacle in both official releases and fan contributions.

Credits and personnel

Songwriters and producers

"Favorite Crime" was co-written by and , who developed the track collaboratively during sessions for Rodrigo's debut album SOUR. , a seasoned songwriter and producer known for his work with artists like , contributed significantly to the song's introspective lyrics and minimalist arrangement, drawing from Rodrigo's personal experiences in a toxic relationship. The song's publishing rights are managed through LLC for Rodrigo's portion, under her global deal with the company, while Nigro's share is handled by Daniel Leonard Nigro Music (ASCAP). Dan Nigro served as the primary producer for "Favorite Crime," overseeing its production to emphasize a ballad style with acoustic elements and subtle synth layers. The track was recorded under , a subsidiary of , which holds the phonographic copyright alongside . Vocally, provides the lead performance, delivering the raw emotional delivery central to the song's narrative, with layered harmonies enhancing the bridge's intensity.

Recording and technical credits

"Favorite Crime" was recorded primarily at Amusement Studios in , , with overdubs handled at Funk Studios in , , during 2020 and early 2021. Mixing for the track also occurred at Amusement Studios. Daniel Nigro engineered the recording for "Favorite Crime" while also producing the track. Ryan Linvill served as assistant engineer. The mixing was conducted by Mitch McCarthy, and mastering was completed by at Sterling Sound in . Technical credits for instrumentation on the song include acoustic guitar, bass guitar, and Juno 60 synthesizer performed and recorded by Daniel Nigro, alongside saxophone by Ryan Linvill. Background vocals were provided by Kathleen and Olivia Rodrigo, with vocal arrangements by Rodrigo, Nigro, and Kathleen.
RolePersonnel
Recording EngineerDaniel Nigro
Assistant EngineerRyan Linvill
Mixing EngineerMitch McCarthy
Mastering EngineerRandy Merrill
Acoustic Guitar, Bass, Juno 60 SynthesizerDaniel Nigro
SaxophoneRyan Linvill
Background VocalsKathleen, Olivia Rodrigo

References

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