Olivia Rodrigo has gone through quite the journey as an artist in the span of just four years.
In 2020, she was known as the fledgling star singing of teenage heartbreak, drivers licenses, and everything in-between; now, she’s one of Gen Z’s most ambitious pop-rock superstars.
Over the past four years Rodrigo has perfected her ability to craft witty, fun songs that are so catchy even dads know the words to them, if the crowd inside Qudos Bank Arena this week was anything to go by.
After a lively start from New Zealand alt-pop artist BENEE, singing her bouncy hits “Supalonely” and “Afterthought,” several candles reading out “GUTS” lit up the main screen. As they began to melted and toppled over, the sweaty-palm-excitement of the arena became palpable. You could feel it.
Credit: Ashley Mar
Within seconds, the screams of thousands of young girls (and their dads) filled the space, while camera phones were flung high into the air. Rodrigo was here.
Looking every inch a ’90s alternative icon, she jumped straight into “bad idea right?”. The song also featured an incredible electric guitar solo by a member of Rodrigo’s talented all-female band.
Jumping into the lively “ballad of a homeschooled girl,” Rodrigo sung of anxious thoughts about social suicide and kissing the wrong boys. “I talked to this hot guy, swore I was his type / Guess that he was makin’ out with boys, like, the whole night” she bellowed to the crowd who already knew every lyric.
“Holy shit Sydney, you can sing,” Rodrigo said to the crowd while catching her breath. She stood there commanding the arena, still just 21 years old, as if she’d been doing this for decades.
Before performing “teenage dream,” Rodrigo gave an inspiring speech to her young fans.
“I always used to hate having birthday parties. I used to hate getting older. But I’m 21 now and I actually don’t mind it anymore. If I could say anything to my 18 year old self, I would just let her know of all the magical things that are going to come her way,” she said.
Credit: Ashley Mar
This was a rare moment of spontaneity from Rodrigo as she remained focused on keeping the show fun and entertaining. She had the crowd in the palm of her hands: taking time to urge various sides of the arena to scream as loud as they could, each side responded in kind.
“Anyone who’s fucking pissing you off tonight, I want you to scream when it goes black,” Rodrigo shouted in the middle of “all-american bitch,” and it was in these hardcore moments where she truly came alive.
Rodrigo has mastered being a pop star. She’s worked on being a rocker. Judging by her performance in Sydney, she could do anything in her career. She’s managed to seize a generation’s attention for a reason.
Olivia Rodrigo has three more Sydney shows on her Australian tour. Find ticket information here.
