With Daisy Chain Fields, Olivia Rodrigo Got Herself a Spot in Feminist Music History

This popstar is at the top of her game

By Ava Wiseley

This summer, Olivia Rodrigo put on the inaugural Daisy Chain Fields Music Festival in Irvine, CA. The event—which she said she’d been dreaming up for years—was designed to empower women and girls through music and community.

In addition to featuring an all-female lineup, with names ranging from punk feminist icons Bikini Kill to modern pop star Chappell Roan, the festival had female-owned small business stands as well as immersive art installations that inspired feminist political thought.

If her three hit records weren’t enough, Daisy Chain Fields solidifies the trajectory of Rodrigo’s name going down in history.

One way that Rodrigo found success with Daisy Chain Fields was through collaborations with female music legends. Surprising the audience with an appearance by Stevie Nicks, Rodrigo joined her to sing a tear-inducing rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide.” The lineup also featured Bikini Kill, a band known for leading the ‘90s “Riot Grrrl” movement and supporting women in the music industry.

Rodrigo has evidently taken inspiration from her predecessors—but she didn’t need them to join her on stage to prove her devotion to the cause. 

On her own, Rodrigo has always been devoted to the rights of women and girls. Proceeds from her merch have often gone to charities supporting them; she even launched her own, called Fund 4 Good. And she has always been vocal about her support for abortion rights.

More importantly, the idea for Daisy Chain Fields was entirely hers. All of its proceeds went to a collection of nonprofit organizations supporting women and girls. She didn’t pocket a single dime, and neither did any of the other artists on the lineup, which shows their respect for and belief in Rodrigo and her mission.

Rodrigo even released a song ahead of the festival called “serena joy,” based on The Handmaid’s Tale, a dystopian novel by Margaret Atwood that addresses gender inequality by exploring a world of extreme reproductive slavery.

Fans sometimes criticize artists for not using their platforms for good, or for not doing what they deem to be “right” when confronted with a politically tense scenario—take the recent Ed Sheeran debacle, for example.

But Daisy Chain Fields proves that that fate will never befall Rodrigo, and when she uttered the words “I’ll see you all next year” at the end of her set and revealed her intention of making the festival annual, she immediately became a feminist household name today and for future generations.