The 21-year-old is already a superstar
Olivia Rodrigo is destined for Taylor Swift-like cultural ubiquity. That can be stated for certain after catching her stellar 2024 Guts World Tour at Capital One Arena in DC this Saturday (July 21st).
Like Swift at this point in her career, Rodrigo’s music speaks mostly to the bumps, sharp turns, and surprise twists from teenager to adulthood. Songs “Teenage Dreams” and her breakout hit “Driver’s License” speak to these themes with a depth and insightfulness rarely found in “girlie pop.”
That’s just it though: it’s clear live that Rodrigo leans more into the “rock” column than “pop” of the pop-rock genre the former Disney star has been labeled as. Certainly, the X Factor of Rodrigo screams “rock star.” She glimmers from the stage, her large expressive eyes radiating everything from longing to badassery. Seriously, her side-eye could be labeled a WMD.
And so could that youthful yet lived-in voice. She could scream out a driving rocker (“Love Is Embarrassing”) or offer a wistful ballad while laying sensually on a platform two stories high (“Making the Bed.”)
During one of the more awe-inspiring shows, Rodrigo turned the bowl of the arena into a night sky, full of shining stars as she rode on a moon to the back. But other than that segment and some sparingly-used dancers, the show bucks the “pop star” trend of being theatrically overstimulating.
The goal, it seems, is to keep the focus on the young star and her raw talent. She is also extremely down to earth. Rodrigo chatted with some fans in the pit, just as if she were in a living room. To be able to connect so intimately in a room of 20,000, not to mention having that skill and comfort so early in your career, is a rare thing.
Rodrigo’s fans skew younger and are full of energy. The crowd easily drowned her out several times—especially on the bigger hits—but her music appeals across generations. Parents of Zennials sang as loud as their kids, and millennials turned out in merch themed after Guts’ star-styled aesthetic.
This tour is sending a message: Olivia Rodrigo isn’t just a kids TV actor riding a wave. She’s a real artist and a performer—no, an entertainer—who can go toe-to-toe with legends three-and-a-half times her age. Good 4 U, Olivia. Hope that your career stays happy and healthy.
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