The pop stars turn dating disasters into a retro game-show showdown, with a new verse from Roan and a surprise appearance from Talking Heads frontman David Byrne.
Olivia Rodrigo and Chappell Roan have turned dating disappointment into a full-blown game show. On October 15, Rodrigo released a remix of “expectations” featuring Roan, alongside a music video that drops the pop stars into a world of vintage television, big hair, and competitive romantic grievances. Both know messy love makes excellent pop.
Originally featured on Rodrigo’s third studio album, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love, “expectations” now gets a new verse from Roan. Produced by Dan Nigro, who has worked with both singers, the remix is Roan’s first official feature on another artist’s track. The video, directed by Bardia Zeinali, makes the collaboration feel bigger than a guest verse by turning the song’s central idea into a campy contest.
Two Pop Voices, One Set of Standards
“Expectations” is about realizing that the person you were trying to like simply is not measuring up. Rodrigo’s original version uses humor and blunt self-awareness to take stock of past romantic choices and set a higher bar for the next one. Its bite comes from a narrator who can laugh at her own decisions while still being serious about what she wants.
Roan brings a different angle. In her new verse, she describes taking a woman to a concert, thinking the date is going well, and then waiting weeks for a promised follow-up that never arrives. The story brings the song’s frustrations into a queer context without losing its punchline-ready attitude. The contrast is part of the fun: Rodrigo’s deadpan frustration meets Roan’s bigger, more theatrical energy, so the song’s familiar complaint gets a second life instead of simply repeating the original. For listeners who have followed both artists, the feature also feels like a payoff to a connection that has been visible onstage for years.
Welcome to The Big Expectations Show
The video takes its cue from classic television game shows, with Rodrigo and Roan appearing as contestants in retro-inspired setups. The main attraction is “The Big Expectations Show,” hosted by David Byrne, the Talking Heads frontman, who plays fictional presenter Johnny Johnson. Rodrigo cycles through different characters and looks, while Roan enters the competition with a team of her own. The styling leans into the exaggerated glamour of 1980s and ’90s TV.
The clip nods to familiar formats including Family Feud and Hollywood Squares, turning the singers’ relationship complaints into a head-to-head challenge. Instead of delivering their frustrations straight to camera, the video gives them costumes, teams, and a host who treats the competition with deadpan seriousness.
Nigro makes a cameo, too, connecting the visual world to the shared creative relationship behind the remix. The video’s cast adds to its deliberately heightened atmosphere, with drag performer Aquaria appearing on Roan’s team and the Venus Twins joining Rodrigo’s side. Those details help make the clip feel like a full production rather than a standard performance video.
A Friendship That Has Been Building
The collaboration has history. Roan opened for Rodrigo during the Guts World Tour, giving the pair a connection before they shared a recording. They reunited at Daisy Chain Fields, Rodrigo’s women-led festival in Irvine, California, on August 29. The event featured women artists and supported organizations working on behalf of women and girls.
Their musical partnership also makes sense because of Nigro, a frequent collaborator for both. He produced Rodrigo’s original album and has helped shape Roan’s work, so the remix brings together artists who already share a creative foundation.
Making the Remix Its Own Moment
The appeal is its sound and concept. Roan’s verse adds another point of view to a song fans already know, while the video gives the collaboration its own visual identity. The game-show setting turns romantic standards into a competition.
Rodrigo and Roan suit a song balancing vulnerability with sarcasm. Neither has to abandon her personality to fit into the track. The remix leaves room for Rodrigo’s direct delivery and Roan’s theatrical phrasing, then brings them together around the same conclusion: bad dates can be disappointing, but they can also make excellent material.
With “expectations,” the two artists have delivered a collaboration that feels playful without losing the song’s point. Roan’s verse adds perspective, and Byrne’s turn as host gives the video an unexpected cameo. It turns a terrible date into a story worth telling.
