American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress Olivia Rodrigo surprised her fans in a recent interview. She revealed that she is 60% deaf in her left ear, a fact she shared humorously to coincide with the release of her new album.
A "teasing question" that opens up a real confidence
It was on KISS FM UK that Olivia Rodrigo shared this revelation. She was a guest of hosts Tyler West and Chloe Burrows to discuss her highly anticipated third album, "You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love." The interview , initially focused on her new musical project, took a more personal turn when one of the album's tracks, titled "What's Wrong with Me?", was mentioned.
It was this song that inspired a humorous question from Tyler West, one of the hosts. "What's really wrong with you?" he asked the singer, laughing. Rather than dodge the question, Olivia Rodrigo seized the opportunity to discuss a very personal aspect of her life. "There are actually a lot of things wrong with me," she began jokingly. Before launching into a revelation that few of her fans knew.
"60% deafness" in the left ear
“I’m actually 60% deaf in my left ear. So, if you were to sit on this side [she points to her left ear] and try to tell me a secret, I wouldn’t be able to understand what you were saying,” she explained to the hosts. And she added mischievously, “So, if you want to tell me a secret, go to my right ear instead.” A revelation that Chloe Burrows, visibly surprised, immediately picked up on: “That’s incredible, because you’re a singer and you always wear earbuds. That’s crazy!”
Partial deafness discovered in kindergarten
Olivia Rodrigo only discovered this peculiarity later in life. It was during a hearing test in kindergarten that she learned the news. The singer had already mentioned this revelation in a December 2023 interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "It's rather unusual. I'm half deaf in my left ear. I never knew until around kindergarten, when they do these tests on all the children. And they told me, 'Oh, you have a little trouble hearing,'" she recounted at the time. This early discovery never stopped her from pursuing her artistic ambitions.
An anecdote shared with her photographer friend
To discuss this particularity, Olivia Rodrigo also shared an anecdote in 2023 about one of her close friends. "One of my friends is this amazing photographer, Petra Collins, and she has very poor eyesight. So we always joke that I make music because I can't hear well, and she takes photos because she can't see well," she confided. A humorous remark that illustrates how Olivia Rodrigo has learned to live with her difference—even transforming it into a source of inspiration.
A subject rarely addressed by artists
Olivia Rodrigo's sincerity on this subject is all the more striking given that the issue of partial hearing loss remains relatively undiscussed by artists, particularly in the music industry. For a singer who spends most of her days in the studio, on stage, or with headphones on, speaking openly about hearing loss is a rare occurrence. By choosing to mention it publicly, and with such candor, Olivia Rodrigo is helping to break the silence surrounding a reality that affects a significant number of people worldwide.
In a few humorous sentences, Olivia Rodrigo did far more than promote her new album. She shared a part of her life, discussing the partial deafness she publicly acknowledges. This revelation proves, if proof were needed, that the greatest voices in pop aren't always who you'd expect—and that it's possible to transform a personal characteristic into a creative strength.
