Olivia Rodrigo has revealed the unlikely creative challenge behind “Expectations”: writing a song with the mantra-like staying power she hears in Kendrick Lamar’s “HUMBLE.”

Rodrigo discussed the track’s origins during an Apple Music interview with Zane Lowe, joined by Chappell Roan just hours before their “Expectations” remix arrived on streaming services Friday, Oct. 16.

“It was kind of like a challenge to myself; I wanted to write a mantra song,” Rodrigo explained. “I feel like lots of my songs are like, ‘This is how I feel.’ Then I wanted to be like, ‘I want to sing this song every night.’ It’s like Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Sit down, be humble.’ It gets in your brain. It’s a mantra.”

That comparison places Lamar’s 2017 anthem at the center of Rodrigo’s songwriting exercise. Rather than pointing to “HUMBLE.” as a direct template for the sound of “Expectations,” she highlighted the way its repeated command lingers in a listener’s mind.

Chappell Roan’s influence on “Expectations”

Lamar was not Rodrigo’s only inspiration. Speaking directly to Roan during the interview, Rodrigo said the original song also drew from her eventual remix partner’s presence and writing.

“When I made the song, I was really inspired by Chappell and the attitude and swagger that she had,” Rodrigo said. “It always felt inspired by you and your songwriting style.”

The remix therefore brings one of the song’s acknowledged creative influences into the recording itself. Roan’s appearance follows the original version of “Expectations,” which was included on Rodrigo’s album You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love.

The album arrived in June and topped the Billboard 200. “Expectations” also reached No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.

A remix with a game-show twist

Rodrigo and Roan accompanied the new version with a game show-themed music video. Wearing vintage outfits, the two Grammy winners compete in a spoof of Family Feud titled Sister Squabble.

David Byrne hosts the fictional show, overseeing the faceoff between Rodrigo and Roan. The playful setup gives the collaboration a visual concept built around competition, even as the remix itself unites Rodrigo with an artist she says helped inspire the original track’s attitude.

The release also creates a link between three distinct contributors to the story of “Expectations”: Rodrigo as its writer and lead performer, Roan as both an early inspiration and featured collaborator, and Lamar as the artist whose mantra-like approach encouraged Rodrigo to rethink what she wanted one of her own songs to accomplish.

The “HUMBLE.” connection

“HUMBLE.” was released in March 2017 as the lead single from Lamar’s DAMN. album. The song became Lamar’s first solo No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

Nearly a decade later, Rodrigo’s comments show how its central refrain continued to resonate with another songwriter. For “Expectations,” she wanted to move beyond simply documenting a feeling and create something she could repeatedly sing onstage—a song whose core message would remain lodged in the mind.

ShowBiz Take

Rodrigo’s explanation matters because it draws a clear line between inspiration and imitation. Her takeaway from “HUMBLE.” was not presented as a borrowed storyline or sound, but as a songwriting objective: make the words function as a mantra.

Roan’s role adds another layer. Rodrigo credited her attitude, swagger and songwriting style before the pair formally joined forces on the remix. With Byrne hosting their elaborately staged Sister Squabble showdown, the release turns those creative influences into a visible collaboration while giving an already charting song a new version and a distinct visual identity.