The song also reached the top 10 in Austria, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Norway, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.

[2][3] Limited edition 7-inch and CD singles featuring a demo version of the song were made available for pre-order,[4][5] along with its pre-save on streaming platforms.

[7] She further described its creation: "I was upset about a certain situation and went to the studio alone and sat down at the grand piano, and the chords and melody and lyrics just poured out of me — almost like an out-of-body experience."

Rodrigo initially intended it to be a piano ballad, though "when Dan and I started working on it, we juxtaposed the lyrics with these big drums and crazy tempo changes.

[7][9] The black-and-white cover art depicts Rodrigo with "a dark lip and purple criss-cross Band-Aids on her neck", based on which Nylon's Steffanee Wang wrote that "it might lean in the gothic, shadow-y pop arena".

[7] It starts as a piano ballad, similarly to "Drivers License" according to Billboard's Jason Lipshutz, and eventually transforms into "a pop-rock epic full of jittery percussion and wounded, dramatic vocal runs".

[7] In the song, Rodrigo uses critical language towards an unidentified person, including "bloodsucker, fame fucker, bleedin' me dry like a goddamn vampire."

[19][20] Listeners speculated on the song's subject, with many believing it to be about either film producer Adam Faze or DJ Zack Bia, both of whom Rodrigo "reportedly dated for about six months".

The Guardian's Laura Snapes gave the song a five-star rating and stated the pre-chorus "has a dreamy lightheadedness to it that's quickly become a Rodrigo trademark".

[25] Abby Jones and Jo Vito of Consequence thought the song "blossoms into a vehicle for Rodrigo's candid, emotional performance", and "the arrangement opens up to a high-energy backbeat, akin to the more upbeat tracks from Sour" after the second verse.

[38] The song reached number one on the UK Singles Chart in its ninth week and received a silver certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), which denotes track-equivalent sales of 200,000 units.

[41] On June 27, 2023, YouTube Shorts shared a teaser in which Rodrigo can be viewed resting on a patch of grass before being deluged by a blue-green haze while "a pounding electric guitar-filled snippet of 'Vampire' plays", which Billboard thought was likely from its music video.

[44] Hours prior to its release, the artist premiered the video at an exclusive YouTube Space event in Playa Vista, Los Angeles.

As the pounding beat picks up speed, Rodrigo, who has a severe gash on her shoulder, keeps performing while spilling blood on her face and white outfit.

[51][52] The song was part of her set on the December 2023 Los Angeles and New York City dates of iHeartRadio's Jingle Ball Tour 2023.