Olivia Rodrigo recently nabbed a surprise slot at an open mic night in Brooklyn, and as video surfaced of her acoustic rendition of “drop dead," it felt like this was different from a fan activation or guerrilla album promo. Well, it turns out she had a simple reason for singing at Pete's Candy Store in Williamsburg—practice.
Rodrigo tells Teen Vogue that her appearance at the open mic night was an intentional act of preparation before her upcoming hosting and performance gig on Saturday Night Live on May 2.
“I just thought it'd be really fun,” she says. “I had a really interesting career trajectory where I'm obviously so lucky, ‘drivers license’ came out and I got the chance to play really large theaters for someone who'd never performed before. So I never got to play in little rooms like that and I just thought it'd be really fun. I'm just trying to get some practice in for SNL, and yeah, it was a good time.”
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The 23-year-old singer has long been deliberate about her growth in relation to performing live. “I don’t think I should skip any steps,” she told the LA Times back in 2021, when asked about the decision to play theaters when she could have skipped to arenas.
Rodrigo has certainly been getting in her reps ahead of SNL, and her forthcoming 2027 tour for new album you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love. Last month, she joined Addison Rae during her Coachella set to sing both “Headphones On” and “drop dead.” It may be counterintuitive, but Rodrigo says it's actually tougher to play the smaller rooms than the larger ones.
“Oh my God, it's oddly so much harder and so much more nerve-wracking when you can see everyone's faces,” she says. “I don't know, I think maybe I'm just more used to playing in bigger places now, which is so lucky and crazy to say. But getting to see everyone's face and interact with them IRL is a different experience and it's kind of really, really nerve-wracking. You'd think it wouldn't be, but it really is.”
In addition to SNL and her album release date in June, Rodrigo also has a fun collab with FC Barçelona, which she's partnering with for a custom jersey (available here). Think of it as the perfect addition to your tour ensemble.
See the campaign video here:
