Pop superstar Olivia Rodrigo delivered an intimate evening of conversation and acoustic performance at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, joining filmmaker Cameron Crowe for a deep-dive discussion following the debut of her all-women music festival, Daisy Chain Fields. The Tuesday night event served as a preview for the museum’s upcoming special exhibit, Olivia Rodrigo: The Cure Unraveled, which showcases the handmade props, artwork, and set pieces from her music video for “The Cure.”
The appearance marked Rodrigo’s first public outing since she wrapped her festival, drawing an exclusive audience to the museum’s rooftop space. Throughout the evening, Rodrigo discussed her creative process, the emotional roots of her songwriting, and her collaborative journey across music and visual media.
Speaking with Crowe, Rodrigo explained how the foundational concept for “The Cure” grew out of feelings she struggled to articulate for a really long time. She credits songwriting with helping her process complex personal emotions, noting that she often does not fully understand how she feels about something until she writes a song about it. Even when she initially lacked motivation, Rodrigo relied on creative discipline to pick up her guitar, ultimately crafting one of her favorite tracks from her third album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love.
“We worked really hard on that video. We were really excited about having everything be really tactile and practical,” Rodrigo shared during the conversation, highlighting the meticulous craftsmanship behind the visual project. According to the artist, the physical installation features hundreds, maybe even like a thousand hours of work by artists utilizing simple materials like cardboard and yarn.
The upcoming museum exhibit, running from Sept. 2 through Feb. 22, 2027, will display an array of original props, including skeleton X-rays, outfits, hospital beds, medical instruments, handwritten charts, and the distinctive decaying doorways featured in the music video. Organizers plan to expand the installation further in the coming weeks.
Reflecting on Daisy Chain Fields and Stevie Nicks
The conversation naturally turned toward Rodrigo’s recent weekend hosting the all-women festival Daisy Chain Fields, where she drew an estimated 45,000 attendees. A major highlight of the festival was sharing the stage with Stevie Nicks, with whom Rodrigo closed out the event by performing a duet of “Landslide.”
“She is absolutely incredible and sharp as a tack, and so beautiful and so talented,” Rodrigo said of Nicks. She added that Nicks went out of her way to be kind, even sending pictures of her dog and gifting her a necklace. Crowe praised the cross-generational musical connection, comparing the enduring, universal appeal of Fleetwood Mac’s classic catalog to Rodrigo’s contemporary songwriting.
During the Q&A portion of the evening, Crowe playfully steered the conversation toward a theoretical cinematic future, asking the singer who she would cast to play her in a hypothetical biopic or Broadway musical adaptation of her latest record. Rodrigo joked that she frequently mistakes photos of actress Monica Barbaro for herself, suggesting her as a potential lead before jokingly offering to take on the role herself under Crowe’s direction.
Acoustic Set Highlights
Following the 33-minute interview, Rodrigo treated the roughly 200 gathered guests to a stripped-down, acoustic mini-set accompanied by two musicians from her all-female band. The intimate performance featured acoustic renditions of “Drop Dead,” “Stupid Song,” “Maggots for Brains,” “Less,” and “The Cure,” which she has referred to as a thesis statement for her latest record.
Introducing “Drop Dead,” Rodrigo shared a sentimental childhood memory prompted by her mother, noting that visiting the Grammy Museum as a thirteen-year-old inspired her. Reflecting on the full circle of the moment, she remarked that her teenage self would have been “pretty stoked” by the milestone.
As the exhibition opening approaches and preparations continue for her soon-to-launch arena tour, Rodrigo maintains a high public profile ahead of the upcoming Grammy consideration cycle, where industry watchers expect her latest work to figure prominently.
