By: Anastasia RozakosÂ
Olivia Rodrigo has been taking the music industry by storm since her debut album, Sour, came out in 2021. Most recently, she has put together a music festival, Daisy Chain Fields, that features an all-female lineup. Per the mission statement, “the festival celebrates the voices, artistry, and contributions of women in music, fostering an inclusive environment in which all are welcome.” This festival’s net proceeds are split among 10 nonprofit organizations dedicated to helping women and girls. Powerful names in music like Sarah McLachlan, Stevie Nicks, Chappell Roan, Doechii and so many more participated in Daisy Chains this August.
But you may be wondering what inspired Olivia Rodrigo to come up with this idea? Well, according to Shafiq Najib, Tess Scott Davidson, and Acacia Nunes from ABC, she drew “inspiration from one of music’s most influential female-led festivals,” Lilith Fair (ABC). Lilith Fair was founded by Sarah McLachlan back in the nineties. At the time, female artists were not valued the same as their male counterparts. Nina Dragicevic from CBC Docs notes that Sarah McLachlan was told by promoters that “You can’t put two women on the same bill.” She set out to prove them wrong. And she did. Over the course of three years, more than 1.5 million people attended Lilith Fair. And now Olivia Rodrigo is continuing that legacy.Â
The first-ever Daisy Chain Fields happened this past week on August 29th. According to Olivia Shalhoup at Forbes, Daisy Chains had “roughly 45,000 attendees” and raised “a total of $20 million.” Daisy Chain Fields was extremely successful and added to the impressive legacy left by Lilith Fair. This next step in Olivia Rodrigo’s career is already creating positive waves, and I am excited to see what happens next.