With a Lineup Including Stevie Nicks and Mitski, Olivia Rodrigo’s New Nonprofit Festival Aims to Change the Music Industry
Making a statement.
Olivia Rodrigo just dropped the biggest news of her career so far, and it’s not another album or tour. It’s a music festival. Daisy Chain Fields, her brand-new not-for-profit event, is set to take over Great Park in Irvine, California on August 29, and the lineup is nothing short of legendary. Think Stevie Nicks, Mitski, Bikini Kill, and even Sarah McLachlan – all on one stage, all women, all for a cause. If you’ve ever wished for a festival that took on the music industry’s old boys’ club, this is it.
Rodrigo announced the festival in her Pitchfork cover story. “I actually feel like it’s my calling in some weird way,” she said. “I’ve had this dream to do this festival for a really long time.” That dream is directly inspired by Lilith Fair, the groundbreaking ‘90s festival founded by McLachlan that put women artists front and center at a time when the industry barely made space for them. Lilith Fair wasn’t just a festival, it was a movement.
It gave artists like Erykah Badu, Sheryl Crow, and the Indigo Girls a platform when they were often sidelined, and it proved that women could headline festivals without needing a male co-sign. Rodrigo is picking up that torch and running with it, but she’s adding a mix of riot grrrl energy and flower-child vibes, all while funneling every dollar from ticket sales into nonprofits like Planned Parenthood and the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health.
The lineup feels both nostalgic and fresh
According to PEOPLE, Rodrigo herself will perform, alongside rising stars like Chappell Roan and KATSEYE, as well as genre-defining acts like Bikini Kill and Garbage. Then there are the special guests, a list so iconic it almost feels like a fever dream. Stevie Nicks, Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and McLachlan herself are all rumored to appear.
Rodrigo described the vibe she’s going for as “hippie girl, riot grrrl punk type of thing, like flower child meets riot grrrl.” What makes Daisy Chain Fields different from your average music festival isn’t just the lineup, it’s the mission. Every single ticket sold goes straight to charity. Rodrigo made it clear that none of the artists are making a profit from this, and that’s a big deal.
In an industry where women are still fighting for equal pay and representation, this festival is a statement. It’s saying that women don’t just belong on stage, they belong in charge, and they belong supporting each other. “I just feel like we need something really positive to do and see, and young girls need awesome role models who are supporting other women and who are engaging in something that’s really joyful and musical and community-oriented,” Rodrigo said.
She’s not wrong. Music festivals have always been about more than just the music, they’re about the energy, the community, and the shared experience. Daisy Chain Fields is taking that idea and amplifying it, turning it into something that can actually make a difference.
Rodrigo’s personal life has been under the microscope lately
This is especially so with rumors swirling about a split from actor Louis Partridge. She didn’t address the breakup directly in the Pitchfork interview, but she did talk about the emotional journey behind her latest album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love. The album starts with love songs but takes a darker turn in the second half, something Rodrigo said reflects where she was at in her life.
“I obviously started out writing with all these hopes, like, ‘This is gonna be a 100 percent love album.’ And obviously it didn’t end up that way – you can read between the lines on that one,” she said. She also touched on the idea that love isn’t always sunshine and rainbows, and that’s okay. “When you’re knowing someone really intimately, the parts of yourself that you don’t really like come out – it’s not like, ‘Everything’s great.’ It really shines a mirror on yourself.”
The timing of Daisy Chain Fields feels especially meaningful when you consider the state of the music industry. Lilith Fair was a response to the misogyny and gatekeeping that kept women artists from getting the recognition they deserved. More than two decades later, not much has changed. Women are still fighting for equal pay, for equal representation, and for the same opportunities as their male counterparts.
Rodrigo’s festival isn’t just a nod to the past; it’s a challenge to the present. It’s asking why festivals with all-male lineups are still the norm, why women are still having to prove they can sell tickets, and why the industry still treats them like second-class citizens. By putting together a festival that’s entirely women and female-fronted acts, Rodrigo is forcing the industry to pay attention. She’s showing that women don’t just belong in music, they are music.
McLachlan tried to revive Lilith Fair in 2010
According to Harper’s Bazaar, McLachlan herself has said that if Lilith Fair were to succeed today, it would need to be in someone else’s hands. She tried to revive it in 2010, but it didn’t take off. “It was a colossal failure, because the intentions were not as pure,” she said. But she also said that the festival’s original mission could succeed if someone new carried the torch.
Enter Rodrigo. She’s not just recreating Lilith Fair, she’s reimagining it for a new generation. She’s making it her own, with her own energy, her own lineup, and her own mission. And if the response to the announcement is any indication, the world is ready for it. There’s something undeniably powerful about seeing a young artist like Rodrigo step up and take on a project like this. She’s only 23, but she’s already using her platform to make a difference.
(Featured image: Raph_PH)
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