Rodrigo is currently one of the biggest names in pop music at the age of just 23, with four US and UK number one singles, and both of her albums also topping charts here. Singles like her debut ‘Drivers License’, ‘Good 4 U’ and ‘Vampire’ were all incredibly popular, with ‘Drivers License’ winning a Grammy for Best Pop Solo Performance and ‘Good 4 U’ taking home the Brit Award for International Song of the Year in 2022. Her debut album ‘Sour’, released in 2021, is still Spotify’s most streamed album by a female artist.

With third album ‘you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love’ due for release in June, Rodrigo’s continued chart-dominance shows no sign of letting up – its lead single ‘Drop Dead’ released two weeks ago, shooting straight to UK Number One last week. In an interview with British Vogue back in March, she says the album draws inspiration from time spent living in London, is packed with “sad love songs”, and will be her “most experimental” release yet. NME report that it will contain a darker sound and influences from acts such as The Cure, New Order and Joy Division, as well as a potential feature from Geese frontman Cameron Winter.

The ‘Unraveled Tour’ was announced today, a blockbuster lap of North America and Europe which will see Olivia Rodrigo perform 65 dates over 9 months. Support varies between dates, with a cast consisting of Devon Again, Die Spitz, Grace Ives, The Last Dinner Party, and Wolf Alice. It kicks off this September in Hartford, Connecticut, travelling across the US and Canada before touching down in Stockholm next March for the European leg. Before it wraps, she’ll play four nights at the O2 Arena in London, with Grace Ives opening. In a post on Instagram, Rodrigo said “i am so so excited to announce The Unraveled Tour!!! I am counting down the days till I get to sing all of the songs from ‘you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love’ with u guys!!!”

The ‘Unraveled’ tour will run from the 25th of September this year to the 2nd of May 2027. Dates at the London O2 Arena are on the 5th, 6th, 8th and 9th of April next year. For full world dates, check Olivia Rodrigo’s website, and expect more songs from ‘you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love’ before it releases on Geffen Records on the 12th of June.

War Child is an international non-government organisation founded in 1993, working with families, corporations and worldwide governments to ensure protection, education and support for children who are impacted by war and distressing conditions caused by political conflict. War Child UK worked with the music, media and entertainment industries through the 90’s to raise awareness and money for the charity in its beginnings. David Bowie, Elton John and many more artists backed the organisation during its start-up, with some of the most popular names in the British music scene joining forces to produce an album to raise money for the charity.

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A post shared by Arctic Monkeys (@arcticmonkeys)

Over twenty UK hit artists came together to produce ‘Help!’ in 1995. Including songs from Blur and Oasis – whose “Battle of Britpop” rivalry was a huge pop culture news story at the time – their allegiance in recording the album gained plenty of attention much to the charity’s benefit. They featured in the album alongside The Boo Radleys, The Stone Roses, Orbital, Radiohead, Portishead, Massive Attack, Suede and more.

“It’s the only time you’ll see us agreeing on anything,” said Oasis’ Noel Gallagher in regards to working with Blur for ‘Help!‘. “We put aside our differences for the cause.”

‘Help(2)’ is comprised of 23 songs produced by a genre-diverse lineup of global music icons, from indie rock legends Arctic Monkeys to alternative pop-princess Olivia Rodrigo and many more big names. The contributing musicians began recording over a week in November 2025 at Abbey Road studios, birthplace of The Beatles’ ‘Come Together‘ and Pink Floyd’s ‘The Great Gig In The Sky‘ – along with many other globally acclaimed records. A few singles were released to promote the second charity volume, including Arctic Monkeys’ ‘Opening Night’ which gained 15 million streams on Spotify. The full album has been released today and is available on streaming services and to purchase at www.warchild.org.

The 1995 album was a hit, raising £1.25 million for War Child. Although there is concern for streaming platforms having overtaken album purchases significantly, Rich Clarke from War Child UK has ensured that rights and royalties will be donated to the charity. The album would need to reach 400 million streams to reach that figure. Merchandise has also been created to help raise money, including a Vinyl, T-shirts and a CD that includes an exclusive bonus Oasis live recording.

Help(2) Double LP and Exclusive 7″ Vinyl of ‘Acquiesce (Live From Wembley)’ By Oasis. Available to buy at https://store.warchild.org.uk/

Producer James Ford has curated an album that’s good for the cause as it for the ears, described as an “intriguing mix of strikingly fresh covers and affecting originals” by album critic Matthew Davies Lombardi (DIY Magazine). The array of musicians and their diverse sounds uniting in aid of War Child gives something for everyone to enjoy, from the music itself to the consequential support given by enjoying it.

“30 years ago, today and, no doubt, 30 years from now, the message remains clear and universal – no child should ever be part of war. Ever.” – DIY Magazine.

The exciting new track list for ‘Help(2)‘ can be seen below.

Side A

1. Arctic Monkeys – Opening Night

2. Damon Albarn, Grian Chatten & Kae Tempest - Flags

3. Black Country, New Road – Strangers

4. The Last Dinner Party – Let’s do It Again!

5. Beth Gibbons – Sunday Morning

Side B

6. Arooj Aftab & Beck – Lilac Wine

7. King Krule – The 343 Loop

8. Depeche Mode - Universal Soldier

9. Ezra Collective & Greentea Peng - Helicopters

10. Arlo Parks – Nothing I Could Hide

11. English Teacher & Graham Coxon - Parasite

12. Beabadoobee – Say Yes

Side C

13. Big Thief - Relive, Redie

14. Fontaines D.C. - Black Boys On Mopeds

15. Cameron Winter - Warning

16. Young Fathers - Don’t Fight The Young

17. Pulp – Begging For Change

18. Sampha – Naboo

Side D

19. Wet Leg – Obvious

20. Foals – When The War Is Finally Done

21. Bat For Lashes - Carried My Girl

22. Anna Calvi, Dove Ellis, Ellie Rowsell & Nilüfer Yanya - Sunday Light

23. Olivia Rodrigo – The Book of Love

warchild.org.uk

the entire glastonbury crowd singing drivers licence omg olivia rodrigo you will always be that girl pic.twitter.com/BX6MTGqlj2

— Am♡ (@goldrush_a) June 29, 2025

Olivia Rodrigo became the second youngest Glastonbury headliner at just 22 years old after Billie Eilish headlined at 20 years old back in 2022. The 22-year-old delivered an energetic and well-received performance filled with confidence and a powerful stage presence. Olivia actively moved around the entire stage during her performance and transitioned between emotional songs to high-energy rock and punk anthems. She showcased many outfits, including opening with a white lacy dress and later appearing in sparkly Union Jack shorts.   

Olivia Rodrigo becomes the second youngest solo headliner in Glastonbury history. pic.twitter.com/Z7JoclO7Jr — Buzzing Pop (@BuzzingPop) June 29, 2025

Olivia continued to excite the crowd by bringing out a surprise guest during her set. She brought out lead singer Robert Smith from the famous punk rock band, The Cure, introducing him as “perhaps the best songwriter to come out of England” and her “personal hero”. The two performed popular songs, ‘Friday I’m in Love’ and ‘Just Like Heaven’, together, becoming a notable highlight of the festival weekend.

The Cure’s Robert Smith joins Olivia Rodrigo for ‘Friday I’m in Love’ at Glastonburypic.twitter.com/lBYqIVYo3J

— BrooklynVegan (@brooklynvegan) June 29, 2025

The singer connected to her British fans by expressing her love for England and the cultural differences she appreciated, as an American singer, also shouting out her English boyfriend, who was watching her set backstage. She sang into a megaphone during ‘get him back!’ ending the weekend in fireworks and throwing drumsticks into the audience for her fans.

Rodrigo also performed at BST Hyde Park in London this past weekend on Friday, June 27. She brought out surprise guest, Ed Sheeran, performing his song ‘The A Team’ together.

Olivia Rodrigo released her debut song ‘drivers license’ back in 2021, which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Charts, breaking a record for the most single-day streams. This debut song allowed her to break out of her former Disney Channel days where she started her career as an actor in shows Bizaardvark and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.

She later released her debut album ‘SOUR’ that same year, which became the longest-running debut album in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 Chart this century. She released her second album ‘GUTS’ in 2023, with an extended version of the album in March 2024. These albums have skyrocketed her success in the past five years, receiving many awards.

Olivia Rodrigo has upcoming performances in July at different festivals, including Mad Cool Festival in Madrid and Lollapalooza in Paris and Chicago. See more events here.

@laurenwhelxn I’m still not over this #oliviaroderigo #dublin #oliviarodrigodublin @Universal Music Ireland ♬ original sound – Ur tiktok gf

The emotional cover came at the end of her set after an opener of the angsty pop rock track ‘Obsessed’ followed by well-loved songs including ‘Ballad Of A Homeschooled Girl’, ‘Vampire’ and ‘Traitor’.

Rodrigo kicked it up a notch with her latest Guts World Tour, delivering unique visuals, digital collage art and a mind-blowing stage presence. Fans were also excited to see her bring back the “jealousy jealousy barricade walk” from past shows in which Rodrigo walks the barricade during her self-doubt indie-pop anthem ‘Jealousy Jealousy’.  

@ultrasecretcre @Olivia Rodrigo @livies hq #jealousy #oliviarodrigo #gutsworldtour #marlaypark ♬ som original – livie

The American artist’s nine-week number one pop ballad on the Official Singles Chart, ‘Driver’s Licence’, came before she stunned the crowd with her Fontaines D.C. cover. Rodrigo admitted her love for the band as told the audience,

“The reason why I love Dublin so much is because you guys have really amazing music here. There are so many incredible bands out of Dublin. And lately I’ve been really obsessed with this band called Fontaines D.C. I’m playing this song, like, alone in my room for fun, and I was wondering if it would be cool if I, like, played it for you guys.”.

Fans were more than happy to hear the tribute to the Irish post-punk band, who have recently announced their collaboration with the mental health campaign CALM for a charity t-shirt line. Rodrigo similarly champions for mental health and political movements, supporting WAVE (Women Against Violence Europe) for the European run of the Guts World Tour. The singer has also recently being awarded The Catalyst For Change Award by the Planned Parenthood of Greater NY Action Fund.

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Rodrigo will be performing in festivals around the UK, Europe and U.S. this summer. Catch tickets to her next exciting performances, merch site and how to support her global initiative for women and girls ‘Fund 4 Good’ on her official website.

The festival will see an act who had previously headlined the festival in 2009, a Chart-Topping pop princess and one of the most popular bands of the past decade. This year’s Glastonbury lineup will feature two first-time headliners: British pop-rock band The 1975 and American pop-punk singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo, and welcome the return of Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts.

The 1975, fronted by Matty Healy, will take the Pyramid Stage on Friday night. The band is known for their genre-blending sound, introspective lyrics, and charismatic frontman Matty Healy, the band has built a massive global following.

Olivia Rodrigo is set to close out Sunday’s performances. Her last appearance at the festival was in 2022 on the Other Stage, where she brought out Lily Allen for a guest performance and delivered a fiery critique of the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Saturday’s headliner will be Neil Young and his band, the Chrome Hearts—a booking that was briefly thrown into confusion. On January 1, Young unexpectedly announced he was pulling out of the festival due to concerns over its association with broadcast partner BBC, which he described as being under “corporate control.” However, just two days later, he clarified that he had received “an error in information” and confirmed that Glastonbury was back on his tour schedule. Young previously headlined the festival in 2009.

Both Neil Young and Olivia Rodrigo are also set to headline another popular UK festival, BST Hyde Park, in July.

This year’s coveted legends slot will go to none other than Rod Stewart. The rock icon, who turned 80 in January, reassured fans that he’s still got plenty to give, declaring he’s “more than able to pleasure and titillate” at this stage in his career. The iconic artist will be taking the stage on Sunday.

London rapper Loyle Carner will lead Friday’s performances, while The Prodigy will close out Sunday night. Friday will also see chart-topper Gracie Abrams taking the stage, along with Busta Rhymes, Wet Leg and Four Tet. Lola Young will also be performing on Friday, after her hit ‘Messy‘ topped the charts for weeks in a row.

Soul-pop sensation Raye will take the stage ahead of Neil Young on Saturday. Her debut album, ‘My 21st Century Blues’, has earned both critical acclaim and commercial success, solidifying her status as one of the UK’s most exciting talents. Charli xcx, who dominated last summer with her neon-soaked album ‘Brat’, will also take the stage on Saturday. Saturday will also see former Little Mix Jade performing, for her solo Glastonbury debut.

Noah Kahan will also be joining this exciting line up on Sunday, after ‘Stick Season’ was named the biggest song of 2024 by Official Charts. Kahan will also be performing at this edition’s BST Hyde Park. The same day, The Prodigy will be taking the stage, along with The Libertines and Wolf Alice.

This year Glastonbury will partner with Oxfam, WaterAid, Greenpeace and many more charities to ensure the best festival experience. The festival also reassured fans that many more artists and talents are set to be announced, with some rumours as to whether Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan will be gracing the iconic UK stage.

We’re so excited to announce that @oliviarodrigo is headlining American Express presents @BSTHydePark on Friday 27 June 2025

She’ll be joined by special guests @lastdinnerparty and @_girlinred_, plus many more names to be announced!

Amercican Express Cardmembers can book… pic.twitter.com/utdqjIVW1G

— BST Hyde Park (@BSTHydePark) November 11, 2024

With almost 50 million listeners on Spotify and three number 1 hits on UK official Charts at only 21, Olivia Rodrigo is the voice of a generation.

Rodrigo first began her career as an actress on Disney Channel and landed the lead role in a TV show remake of High School Musical. In 2021, she released her debut single “Driver’s License” which received acclaim from both the public and critics and marked one of the biggest debuts in history.

After Driver’s License was released, Rodrigo became a pop icon all at once and her following singles became radio hits and received millions of streams in ever app. Rodrigo then announced her debut album “SOUR”, from which the singles “Good 4 You” and “Déjà vu” were taken. “SOUR” became the pop anthem of the youngest generation, with Rodrigo being compared to the likes of Taylor Swift. “SOUR” won “Best Pop Album” at the 64^th edition of the Grammy Awards, same year where Rodrigo won the “Best New Artist” category.

After undertaking a world tour and releasing a documentary, Rodrigo announced her second studio album titled “GUTS”. The first single off “GUTS”, titled “Vampire”, confirmed Rodrigo as more than just a one hit wonder, but instead highlighted her songwriting and vocal skills. “GUTS” was followed by yet another world tour and a deluxe version which contained the single “Obsessed”.

Rodrigo has also written and performed for various soundtracks. Besides writing original song for her TV show “High School Musical: The Show: The Music”, she also wrote “Can’t Catch Me Now” for the movie “Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snake” which earned her a Grammy nomination.

Rodrigo played multiple sold out shows all over the United Kingdom, her “GUTS: world tour” took her to Manchester, Glasgow, and Birmingham and finally for four, sold-out, nights at London’s O2 Arena. She also previously played Glastonbury. Despite gracing stages all over the world, BST Hyde Park is a new achievement for Rodrigo. The London stage is, in fact, going to be her biggest UK headline show to date.

Tickets will be available for sale on the British Summer Time’s website for an exclusive pre-sale on Monday 13 November at 10am, and on general sale on Friday 15 November at 9am.

At the time of Rodrigo’s single in 2021, Costello addressed comments on social media pointing out its similarities to ‘Pump it Up‘, saying, “This is fine by me… You take the broken pieces of another thrill and make a brand new toy. That’s what I did.” He pointed to the influence of Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues” on “Pump It Up” and referenced Chuck Berry’s “Too Much Monkey Business” as a source for Dylan’s track. Speaking with Vanity Fair three years later, Costello reiterated his stance, stating that it would be “ludicrous” to seek legal action given the complex interplay of influences in the song-writing process.

Elvis Costello told Vanity Fair he wouldn’t sue or demand credit from Olivia Rodrigo over similarities between her song “Brutal” and his “Pump It Up,” calling it ridiculous.

— “Now, I did not find any reason to go after them legally for that, because I think it would be… pic.twitter.com/FM1Pc8I30G

— Rodrigo Times (@RodrigoTimes) October 30, 2024

“Without references or quotations, there’d be no Bach. There’d be no Mozart. There’d be no Sonny Rollins,” Costello said to Rolling Stone this week. He also remarked that while few other musicians perform his songs, his music often serves as an inspiration, as he believes was the case with Rodrigo’s track.

Costello’s position on music copyright stands in contrast to recent trends of retroactive crediting among pop artists. In 2021, Rodrigo added Taylor Swift, St. Vincent, and Jack Antonoff to her song “Deja Vu” after listeners noted parallels to Swift’s “Cruel Summer.” Similarly, Paramore’s Hayley Williams and Josh Farro were credited on Rodrigo’s hit “Good 4 U” due to its likeness to the band’s 2007 hit ‘Misery Business’. Rodrigo has since stated that the credit changes took her by surprise, telling Rolling Stone in 2023, “At the time it was very confusing, and I was green and bright-eyed… It was more team-on-team. So, I wouldn’t be the best person to ask.”

In the same Rolling Stone interview, Rodrigo also commented on the idea of taking legal action for similar musical overlaps, echoing Costello’s view on music’s collaborative nature. “I don’t think I would ever personally do that,” she said, “But who’s to say where I’ll be in 20, 30 years. All that I can do is write my songs and focus on what I can control.”

Following technical issues at one of Manchester’s most famous arenas, huge artists such as: Take That, Olivia Rodrigo, and Keane, have been forced to postpone or cancel their performances on extremely short notice, leaving thousands of fans angered.

Usually, the arena can hold up to 23,500 people, and these seats were expected to be filled on the 20th April, as Rick Astley was due to perform in a test concert, and was the first show since the arena’s original opening. However, according to NME, only an hour before the show began, thousands of unfortunate concert goers received the fatal email that was cancelling their tickets. The arena claimed that this was in order to reduce the venue capacity to 11,000 for safety measures, however it did not appease attendees, some of which had already began on their travels to the show.

From here, the situation only worsened as A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s show on May 1st was cancelled ten minutes prior to the doors opening. It has been revealed that a component of the air conditioning system had fell during soundcheck, resulting in the abrupt cancelling of his show. As a result of the worsening difficulties with the venue, artists including A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie and Take That, have managed to change their shows to the Co-op Arena’s rival venue, the AO Arena.

The arena has stated that they are hoping to re-open on May 14th, despite recently undergoing work. According to the BBC, the venue had been warned in February that construction plans were around 35 weeks behind schedule. Nonetheless, the £365m venue is confident that they will soon be re-opening, and are keeping fan’s hopes up with the announcement of shows for this summer and the rescheduling of previously cancelled shows.

However, many artists have been unable to rearrange their shows, with Olivia Rodrigo, who has currently not managed to reschedule her show, stating she is “so bummed” that her show can’t go ahead

Hopefully the venue will be up and running again soon, as many despondent fans have been left miserable and confused at the sudden change of circumstances.

Miley Cyrus led the way with her hit single “Flowers,” spending ten weeks at No 1. Other talented artists such as Dua Lipa, Ellie Goulding, Kenya Grace, Raye, Billie Eilish, Doja Cat, Olivia Rodrigo, and Taylor Swift also enjoyed time at the top spot.

In fact, Goulding, Cyrus, Swift, Raye, SZA, PinkPantheress, and Libianca dominated seven out of the top 10 most popular tracks of the year. This achievement is the highest number of female-led tracks in the history of the Official Singles Chart, which spans over 70 years.

Goulding’s collaboration with Calvin Harris, “Miracle,” was particularly notable, and the rest of the top 10 featured artists like Dave, Central Cee, and Rema.

Dr Jo Twist, the chief executive of BPI, expressed her delight at this significant shift but also stressed the importance of not becoming complacent. She emphasised the need for continued efforts in the music industry, she said,“Our work in the music industry continues to ensure that this becomes the norm.” 

Furthermore, an impressive 48.5% of all songs that reached the Top 10 this year were either solo efforts or collaborations by female artists. This represents the highest annual share of Top 10 hits by female musicians in this century.

In 2023, the British music industry saw its ninth consecutive year of growth, with album sales and streams increasing by 10% to a total of 182.8 million. Streaming reached a record high with 179.6 billion audio streams, a 12.8% increase from the previous year. However, no new releases achieved platinum status, indicating a“crisis” in the industry according to music writer Patrick Clifton. He added,“A new generation of artists is not building fanbases that will buy gig and festival tickets in two, five, or 10-years’ time, and is not popularising songs that will have ubiquity in our culture once this generation of music fans reaches old age. The artists who succeed, he argued, are those who are able to cultivate a “two-way” relationship with fans on social media, and “don’t mind revisiting songs from their repertoire if those songs blow up”.

Vinyl records sales reached a remarkable milestone, surpassing 6 million units, marking the highest total since 1990. Additionally, CD sales remained strong with a staggering 10 million albums sold. Furthermore, cassette sales maintained their steady performance, exceeding 100,000 units for the fourth consecutive year.

However, it is undeniable that streaming has become the dominant force in the UK’s music landscape. Accounting for a remarkable 87.7% of the market share, streaming has experienced a substantial growth compared to 63.6% five years ago.

Reflecting on its unexpected success, Sam acknowledges that while many people are enjoying the song, there are still a significant number who are unaware of its existence. As a 34-year-old artist, Sam faces tough competition from holiday classics such as Wham’s “Last Christmas,” Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” and the resurgence of “Fairytale of New York” following the passing of Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan. Additionally, Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season” has gained momentum after being covered by Olivia Rodrigo on Radio 1’s Live Lounge, posing a potential upset. Despite these challenges, Sam Ryder remains hopeful and determined to make a mark with his festive tune.

Sam acknowledges that while he had hoped for his track from Your Christmas or Mine 2 to become a popular holiday hit, he understands that it may only resonate with a niche audience who watch the film.

He recognises that the song may not have a widespread impact on the culture or the music charts. Therefore, he and his team recorded it purely out of love for the project. Despite writing the song in August, Sam found it surprisingly easy to get into the festive spirit, even during the summer months. He recalls,“It was quite a gloomy day and I was like, ‘this is actually quite perfect’. I can just pretend it’s Christmas.”

Sam’s latest release, “You’re Christmas To Me,” has the potential to become his first Christmas number one. This achievement holds even more significance as it marks his debut as an independent artist following his departure from Parlophone Records in September. Sam describes this transition as a “free-ng experience,” Sam added, “Your team becomes so much smaller, it becomes so much more potent because it’s made up mostly of your pals. And even if you get battered and bruised by the end of whatever it is that you’re after, it doesn’t matter because you’re in it together. And it’s such a lovely experience.”

In other news, Wham! has made a triumphant return to the top of the Christmas chart race. Additionally, Sam Ryder’s remarkable year continues to unfold after the success of his hit single, “Space Man.” Furthermore, Sam reflects on how a surfing accident has profoundly impacted his life.

Sam is often described as a glass-half-full individual, exuding an abundance of positive energy.” He said, “When I was in college, my tutors used to call me Tigger,” he says. “I think I was always just a bit too, like, annoyingly enthusiastic about things.”

He firmly believes that being cool is overrated, particularly in the arts, where people tend to place value on being enigmatic and detached. Sam rejects this notion, asserting that life is too short. Sam added further, “Cool is the enemy,” he says. “I’ve always thought that, especially in the arts, people put this currency on being deep and mysterious and aloof. To hell with that. Life’s too preciously short to not be bounding for joy and gratitude.”