{
  "id": 706483,
  "title": "Watch Role Model’s Self-Proclaimed ‘Botched’ Cover of Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Maggots for Brains’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/12/watch-role-models-self-proclaimed-botched-cover-of-olivia-rodrigos",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-12T22:34:58.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Billboard",
    "slug": "billboard",
    "url": "https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/role-model-olivia-rodrigo-maggots-for-brains-cover-botched-1236315162/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "At the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge on Tuesday, Aug. 11, Tucker Pillsbury, better known as Role Model, performed a cover of Olivia Rodrigo's \"Maggots for Brains.\" The singer appeared somewhat uncertain about his performance, as he had previously shared on his Instagram Story that he anticipated criticism and had labeled the cover as \"botched.\" Prior to posting the warning, Role Model informed his followers, \"I covered olivia for BBC and im just gonna get ahead of the comments and let you know i botched it,\" accompanied by two heart-eyed emojis.\n\nRole Model's rendition of the track maintained the original lyrics, focusing on Rodrigo's theme of longing for a long-distance lover. His performance was met with mixed reactions from viewers, some of whom had expected a less successful cover based on his prior warning. However, others defended the cover, asserting that it was not as poor as anticipated.\n\nDuring his appearance on the show, Role Model also played \"High Hopes 3000\" and \"Harmony\" from his most recent album, \"Chuck Timely & The Hourglass,\" released on Aug. 7. This particular song, \"Maggots for Brains,\" is from Rodrigo's latest album, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 485,000 total album-equivalent units sold. The song has since climbed to No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Role Model is not the only artist to cover Rodrigo's songs in the Live Lounge this year; Sienna Spiro also performed \"Less\" during her BBC Radio 1 stop in July.",
  "summary": "\"Not botched actually,\" one fan assured the singer in the YouTube comments.",
  "key_points": [
    "Role Model performs Olivia Rodrigo's \"Maggots for Brains\" at BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge",
    "Singer acknowledges \"botched\" performance before covering the song",
    "Role Model plays \"High Hopes\" and \"Harmony\" from his latest album"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}