Olivia Rodrigo Explains Why Jealousy Is Such a Frequent Topic in Her Songs: ‘Weird Programming in My Brain’

From “Jealousy, Jealousy” on Sour, “Lacy” on Guts and “My Way” on You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, the topic of jealousy as shown up in Olivia Rodrigo‘s songs across all three of her albums.

In a cover story interview with Pitchfork published Monday (June 22), the pop star explained why she thinks envy — specifically in regard to other women — has been such a dominant emotion in her life and music. “It’s something I have felt intensely since I was young,” she began, tracing it back to when she got her start as a child actress and found fame on Disney’s Bizaardvark and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.

“It’s sort of the thing of like, ‘If you don’t want to do this, we’ll get another cute little 12-year-old girl to do it,’” she continued. “I think it was some weird programming in my brain that tripped that wire. I think it’s not specific to my experience, it’s a larger play against women.

“As I got older, I realized more and more how some of my female friendships matter the most to me,” Rodrigo added. “And that intensity you get from them is so important.”

Despite struggling with jealousy, Rodrigo has never let it get in the way of her passion for championing women and girls. After establishing herself as an activist with her Fund 4 Good — which, over the course of her 2024 Guts World Tour, raised more than $2 million for abortion funds and other charities supporting women’s education and freedom — the Grammy winner has now announced that she’s starting her own festival benefit.

Dubbed Daisy Chain Fields, the event will feature a lineup consisting of Chappell Roan, KATSEYE, Stevie Nicks, Doechii and other women artists, including Rodrigo. All of the net proceeds will go to organizations supporting women and girls.

“I actually feel like it’s my calling in some weird way,” she told Pitchfork of the festival. “I … have had this dream to do this festival for a really long time.”

The interview and festival announcement comes shortly after the release of You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love earlier in June. Debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, the project moved 485,000 equivalent album units in its first week — marking the best opening week Rodrigo has had for an album to date, and 2026’s second-biggest opening week (after BTS’ Arirang) for an album.

See Rodrigo on the cover of Pitchfork below.