Olivia Rodrigo is not shying away from being vocal about why she feels it is important for her to use her platform as an artist to speak out on world issues.
Appearing on the latest episode of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Music Makes Us podcast with host Kathleen Hanna, Olivia Rodrigo explained why she feels a responsibility to speak out on issues ranging from Palestine and reproductive rights to opposing MAGA politics, citing activism an inseparable part of her work as an artist. “I’ve always felt that speaking my mind is super important,” Rodrigo said, adding that “it’s our job, as artists, to try our very best to reflect the world around us as we see it.”
Rodrigo also acknowledges that she’s still figuring out how to best use her voice: “I think I’m still sort of working on what that means for me, and there are always things I feel I can learn and do better.”
The “Vampire” singer also credited outspoken artists who paved the way before her, telling the Bikini Kill bandleader that “it’s so inspiring to see people like you who speak your mind and have no fear of being too much or too loud,” before further adding that “the testament of a really good artist is being able to reflect what’s going on in the world.”
As the Trump administration continues to lean on pop music to bolster its political messaging, artists across the spectrum have been pushed back loudly. Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Selena Gomez and others have all condemned the government’s repeated use of their songs without consent, often in service of hardline immigration policies and nationalist propaganda.
Earlier Last Month Rodrigo Called Out Trump Administration’s ‘Racist, Hateful Propaganda’
Earlier last month, Olivia Rodrigo publicly rebuked the Trump administration after discovering her song All-American Bitch had been used in a Department of Homeland Security video urging undocumented immigrants to “self-deport.” The clip, shared by DHS and the official White House Instagram account, showcased ICE agents detaining people while Rodrigo’s music played over captions like “IF ICE FINDS YOU.”
Rodrigo quickly responded: “Don’t ever use my songs to promote your racist, hateful propaganda.”
Her comment, later deleted from the government’s page, spread across social platforms, prompting Instagram to remove the audio entirely.
It wasn’t Rodrigo’s first confrontation with the administration, either. She had already spoken out against ICE raids in Los Angeles earlier this year, writing: “LA simply wouldn’t exist without immigrants… Treating hardworking community members with such little respect, empathy, and due process is awful.”
She is part of a long list of artists, from Beyoncé to the Rolling Stones, who have publicly challenged the Trump administration’s unauthorized use of their work.