A singer-songwriter recently had her first and sold-out concert in the Philippine Arena, and news about it continues to break the internet a few days later. Still, parents find themselves asking the same question:
“Who is Olivia Rodrigo, and why is she so popular?”
It’s time to turn the tables. Gen Zs fill in their parents who this superstar they look up to really is.
A quick Google Search on Olivia Rodrigo will yield results on her birth in Murrieta, California to a German-Irish mother and a Filipino father on February 20, 2003. She openly identifies herself as a Filipino-American, which instantly made her closer to the Livies (or how Olivia’s fans identify themselves).
Veena Villena, 21, a fourth year BS Administration student from UP Diliman and a Pinoy Livie, shares that she started to know Olivia in her Disney Channel days.
It was also through Disney Channel that Allysa Javier, 22, an AB Psychology student at DLSU, discovered the multi-hyphenate superstar.
Often misunderstood and misjudged with their opinions and choices, Gen Zs would rather not open up with their elders at home or superiors at work. But they too need someone to talk to and process their emotions with, and Olivia’s songs fulfilled this purpose.
Veena goes on to share that listening to some of Olivia’s songs like “Traitor” and “The Grudge” feels like Olivia took the words straight out of her journal. Meanwhile, Allysa notes that Olivia’s music is “deeply relatable” because it is able to “capture the intense, often unspoken pain that comes with various hardships.”
One of her favorites is Olivia’s song “Logical” because, in her words, it’s “the kind of track that feels like it sees right through you—piercing you straight through the heart.”
With more than 3 million heart reacts on Instagram so far, Olivia’s post for her GUTS World Tour in Manila – her first time in the Philippines and her biggest venue yet – is filled with gratitude for her Filipino fans. It’s a dream that came true for her and for her Filipino fans who only had to shell out ₱1,500 for a concert ticket regardless of seat.
In line with her concert outfit, Veena shared that she doesn’t usually plan something grand to wear when she goes on concerts. It was a last-minute idea to get a customized sash in reference to Olivia’s “Obsessed” music video.
It’s clear from both Veena and Allysa that Olivia Rodrigo made Gen Zs feel seen and heard, and it’s enough reason to make Livies waiting for more of her compositions.
But her influence doesn’t stop there. Through her GUTS World Tour in Manila concert, she will be able to help more girls and women have access to quality healthcare through the nonprofit organization Jhpiego, which made Livies extremely proud of their participation in the concert.
Olivia Rodrigo’s name might not instantly ring a bell for parents. Her songs might not fall under Gen X and Y parents’ tastes and preferences. But she, along with the songs she writes, is a key to knowing how Gen Zs think and feel.
Olivia is the voice of the Gen Zs, and she may be the bridge that parents need to understand their children on a much deeper level.