Paul Cartwright plays violin and viola on Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drop Dead” from You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love.
The string parts add chamber-pop color to the album’s lead single. “Drop Dead” is primarily recognized as a synth-pop and pop-rock song, but the violin and viola help broaden its arrangement beyond a straightforward electronic pop production.
Cartwright’s contribution is a performance credit, not a songwriting or production credit. Rodrigo wrote the song with Amy Allen and Dan Nigro, while Nigro produced it. Keeping those roles separate helps avoid confusing the musician responsible for the strings with the people who created the song’s core composition and studio arrangement.
“Drop Dead” was released on April 17, 2026, as the lead single. The song opens the album and establishes the energetic “Girl So in Love” side before the record later shifts into darker material.