“I think she’s the most fantastic artist, the most fantastic singer,” Olivia Rodrigo said when introducing Natalie Imbruglia to the audience in London.
Olivia Rodrigo’s viral dive bar performance of Natalie Imbruglia’s hit “Torn”? Turns out, it was just a rehearsal.
On Wednesday, the three-time Grammy winner surprised concertgoers at London’s Eventim Apollo with a performance of the 1997 hit alongside Imbruglia herself!
“Such an honor to sing with the insanely talented, insanely kind Natalie Imbruglia,” Rodrigo, 19, wrote on her Instagram Stories, captioning a backstage photo of the two. “What a dream.”
She also shared a video of her and Imbruglia, 47, singing the song. “I think she’s the most fantastic artist, the most fantastic singer,” Rodrigo said when introducing Imbruglia to the audience.
Just days earlier, on Sunday, Rodrigo was videoed singing “Torn” at Bunny Jackson’s Dive Bar in Manchester, England, where the drinking age is 18.
Imbruglia’s version of “Torn” is itself a cover, with three other versions of the tune released before the Australian singer dropped it as the first single off her debut album. It was first recorded in 1993 by Danish singer Lis Sørensen, before Los Angeles rock band Ednaswap —whose members Scott Cutler and Anne Preven wrote the song, alongside Phil Thornalley — came out with their own version. American-Norwegian singer Trine Rein released a recording of the song in 1996.
Imbruglia’s cover has become the most popular, however. Her version sold more than four million copies worldwide,
Olivia Rodrigo attends the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 03, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Lester Cohen/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Rodrigo is currently on the European leg of her SOUR tour.
The High School Musical: The Musical: The Series star performed three sold-out shows in the U.K. this week, starting out at the O2 Academy Birmingham on Monday night, before performing at the Eventim Apollo on Wednesday and Thursday.
On Saturday, June. 25, the “Drivers License” singer also took the stage at the UK’s Glastonbury Festival with guest star Lily Allen and led chants of “We hate you!” aimed toward Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett, and Brett Kavanaugh over their decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
“I’m devastated and terrified,” Rodrigo, told the crowd.
“So many women and so many girls are going to die because of this,” she shared, The Guardian reported. “I wanted to dedicate this next song to the five members of the Supreme Court who have showed us that at the end of the day, they truly don’t give a s— about freedom.”
Away from the stage, Rodrigo is dating 26-year-old music executive Zack Bia, PEOPLE confirmed last week.
“They’ve been dating since the Super Bowl,” a source told PEOPLE. “They really like each other.”
Rodrigo told PEOPLE in June 2021 that she was a “lot happier now” than when she wrote the lyrics to her hit debut album Sour.
“I’m just constantly learning and growing at such a rapid rate,” she said. “I’m writing songs and I’m really happy. I’m a lot happier than I was when I wrote that record, which is great.”
“I’m a lot more confident, which I think is a good aspect of growing up,” she added. “We’ll see what the next era brings, but I’m excited to start working on it.”
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