Olivia Rodrigo
Olivia Rodrigo, the child of Filipino American and white parents, is a singer, songwriter, and actor. She was the first artist ever to have two songs on their first album debut at number one of the Billboard Hot 100; she was also the first artist ever to have their first three singles land in the top 10. (Her fourth single reached the top 10 as well.) For her debut album, Sour, and its lead single, “drivers license,” she won Grammy Awards for Best New Artist, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Best Pop Solo Performance. She was also named TIME magazine’s Entertainer of the Year in 2021.
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Bowen Yang: I think you are kind of doing something very radical by just existing as a musician and the way that you are as this Asian artist. I don’t know if that ever factors into the way that you approach your career. Because if I think about that too much myself, I get overwhelmed. And so I only open that drawer every now and then. How often do you open the drawer?
Olivia Rodrigo: I think we share a lot in that sort of space, and that’s incredible to think about. I sometimes get DMs from little girls being like, “I’ve never seen someone who looked like me in your position.” And I’m literally going to cry. Like just thinking about it. I feel like I grew up never seeing that.
- From an interview in V Magazine, August 2021
With her parents (via)
With her parents (via)
“It’s been so amazing to hear, especially from young girls, that they see someone like them out there. Breaking down barriers isn’t just about me, it makes others feel seen as well.
“I hope to visit the Philippines someday. It would be exciting to perform for my Filipino fans and experience the culture in a way that I have not before.”
- From an email to the L.A. Times, March 2022
With her parents (via)
With her father (via)
“It’s hard for anyone to grow up in this media where it feels like if you don’t have European features and blond hair and blue eyes, you’re not traditionally pretty. I felt that a lot – since I don’t look exactly like the girl next door in all these movies, I’m not attractive. That actually took me a while to shake off. It’s something I’m still shaking off now.”
- From an interview with The Guardian, May 2021
With her grandfather (via)
With her father and grandfather (via)
Her great-grandfather, who immigrated from the Philippines to the US as a teenager (via)
“My great-grandfather immigrated here from the Philippines when he was just a teenager. He’s my grandma’s dad, and my grandpa is also Filipino as well. My dad grew up in a house where they were always making Filipino food. His grandpa always spoke Tagalog. All of those traditions have trickled down to our generation. Every Thanksgiving we have lumpia and things like that.
I have never been to the Philippines, but I really, really want to. We still have extended family there, but I’ve never met them. That’s on my bucket list, definitely. When we were doing the Asian and Pacific Islander video, my whole family chipped in. They sent me pictures for the video. I learned so much about it through my family. That video totally taught me a lot. It’s so important to know your culture. Talking about it with them was really informative.”
- From an interview with the Center for Asian American Media, January 2018
After the Grammys on April 3, 2022 (via)