In honor of AAPI month this year, I wanted to dedicate this article to one of my favorite Asian American artists, Olivia Rodrigo. At the age of 23, Olivia has three Grammy awards, seven Billboard Music Awards, was named Time’s 2021 Entertainer of the Year, and has the most-streamed album by a female artist on Spotify.
One thing that first drew me towards Olivia is her Filipino heritage, and the way she openly embraces it. Olivia has spoken numerous times about being Filipino American and how her cultural pride has helped make her an influential figure for many Southeastern fans who feel overlooked in mainstream media. She was featured in an article by British Vogue titled “Now Serving,” and Olivia cooked her family recipe of lumpia, a traditional Filipino dish. Furthermore, when she went to the Philippines during her Guts World Tour, she priced all the tickets to be 1500 pesos, or $25 Dollars, to make her show accessible to all her fans.
One of the most admirable aspects of Olivia’s career is her dedication to humanitarianism and charity. During her last tour, the Guts World Tour, Olivia started a charity fund titled Fund 4 Good, which aimed to support reproductive healthcare for women. A portion of all the ticket sales went towards this foundation, and Olivia promised to partner with different organizations as she travels on tour. During her time in the US, she worked alongside the National Network of Abortion Funds to help those who cannot obtain proper reproductive care, and had volunteers from the organization talk to concert-goers about their association and reproductive services.
Alongside her generosity and compassion, her commitment to the arts does not go unnoticed. Now, with her third studio album, “You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love,” releasing June 12th, Olivia is heading on tour, naming it “The Unraveled Tour,” and already has nine shows planned for both Los Angeles and New York. Her first single from the album, “drop dead,” has already been making numbers and debuted at number one on the Billboard Music Charts, making it her fourth #1 hit following “drivers license,” “good 4 u” and “vampire.”
Olivia Rodrigo stands out, not only for her ability to write heartfelt lyrics but also for the way she uses her platform to honor important causes. I, among many people, am so excited for Olivia’s new album, and I can’t wait to see where her journey takes her next.