Is it time we started calling Olivia Rodrigo a rockstar?
Whenever the Glastonbury line-up is announced, no doubt, there are going to be some people who love it and others who hate it. We will be subject to a number of different opinions as people talk about how the festival is entering a new phase, has lost its way and all things in between. 2025 was no different, as the line-up was met with both open arms and heated contention. One of the artists who seemed to drive the most controversy was the Sunday night headliner, Olivia Rodrigo.
It’s true that while Glastonbury welcomes a wide variety of artists, it has predominantly dabbled in rock. The reason why a lot of people had a problem with Olivia Rodrigo headlining the festival was because she didn’t fit the mould of a rockstar. They would argue that even artists who have headlined in the past, who don’t play rock music, such as Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z and Stormzy, for example, are referred to as rockstars. With that in mind, why don’t people feel the same about Rodrigo?
Granted, she is what we would commonly refer to as a pop star. She very much operates within the realm of pop music, and the songs that catapulted her to fame lean closer towards the world of pop than rock. However, it feels unfair that we let this define her, as the truth is, when we look at the modern superstars in music, there is no denying that none are as big a rockstar as Olivia Rodrigo.
Let’s look at the facts: firstly, she plays rock music. I can already hear angry thumbs banging on keyboards as rock purists try to explain to me why that’s not the case, but I stand by it. The energy and attitude with which she sings, the distorted guitars, the fuck you attitude, all of it screams of rock ‘n’ roll, and she embodies the sound incredibly well. Just because it’s a girl in her early 20s singing about her boyfriend instead of a man in his mid-20s singing about Vikings doesn’t devalue it as rock music.
If you watch her Glastonbury performance and check out tracks such as ‘Good 4 U’, it’s impossible to deny that she embodies the role of a rockstar perfectly. Her performances are fun, packed with attitude and sound great. We’re treated to guitar solos, intense drums, hard bass runs, and all of it culminates into something amazing and that is undeniably rock.
I hear those thumbs going again, directing me towards songs like ‘Happier’ and ‘Drivers License’, telling me that these aren’t examples of rock music. Well, sorry, what rock artist do you know who doesn’t have a few ballads tucked away in their catalogue? Mötley Crüe had ‘Home Sweet Home’, Guns N’ Roses have ‘Yesterday’, and even Black Sabbath have ‘It’s Alright’.
Even if I were to concede that she makes pop music instead of rock, we still need to address the fact that she clearly meets the broader term of rockstar, which has been extended to encompass anyone who is great at what they do. Rodrigo is a good singer, performer, writer and musician. She has her sound, and she delivers on it. All of this fits within the definition of a rockstar pretty well.
Equally, we should acknowledge her stance within music. Something that seems persistent throughout the world of rock music is a desire to acknowledge those artists who have paved the way for them to have the sound they currently do. These artists don’t copy the artists they love, but they wear their influences on their sleeves, which is something Rodrigo also does.
She gives songwriting credits to artists who have inspired her music, and in doing so, she opens the door for her younger listeners to develop a better appreciation of rock as a whole. How many teenagers will now be familiar with the work of Talking Heads, Paramore and Hole because of Rodrigo? Even if you were to ignore everything I’ve written up to this point, her support of the genre is enough on its own to earn her the label.
Finally, you have to pay attention to the artists who are willing to perform with her. She obviously exudes the energy of a musician who is worth your time, as, if she didn’t, artists such as Robert Smith and David Byrne wouldn’t agree to take to the stage with her. She is celebrating those who have influenced her, and they’re celebrating an artist who has come from the music they made.
The debates surrounding Glastonbury will rage on, and you can be angry at Olivia Rodrigo headlining because you might not be a fan, but you can’t argue that she isn’t fit to be a headliner. She might work a lot within the world of pop, but there is no escaping one fact which is glaringly obvious for those who are willing to accept it: Olivia Rodrigo is a rockstar.
