Olivia Rodrigo On New Music, Her New Concert Film, and Taking Some Time Off

Netflix, welcome to the Guts World Tour.

On October 23rd, Olivia Rodrigo officially wrapped a sixth month world tour that saw her play 95 shows in 22 cities — but the party isn’t over yet. Just a few days later, the pop superstar welcomed everyone with a Netflix subscription to an encore with the release of her brand new concert film, out now.

“It was so lucky that we had so much ticket demand for this tour. We sold so many tickets and it was so insane and crazy to meet people in real life, on the street, and they're like, ‘Oh, I wish I could have come, but I wasn't able to get a ticket.’" Rodrigo tells NYLON, calling from home in Los Angeles, slightly jet-lagged from her final shows in Australia. “I was really excited about the prospect of doing this movie because it meant that people who maybe weren't able to get a seat this time around were able to see the show.”

It’s just as fun for those who have seen it in person: all the energy, fervor, and rage of the live show with the exclusive access of a front row seat — and some added bonuses along the way, including a cameo from Rodrigo’s friend and former tour mate, Chappell Roan.

Here, Rodrigo talks her inspirations behind the film, who she wants to collaborate with on stage next, writing new music, and more.

How are you, Olivia? How have you been feeling since tour ended?

Oh, I've been feeling really, really good. I'm really relieved to have some time off and to get to sleep in, and eat junk food and drink wine. It's been pretty nice. But I miss everyone too, and I miss my crew and my band, my dancers and everyone, so it's a little bittersweet.

What was it like waking up that first day and realizing you didn’t have a show that night?

It was so weird. I feel like tour is such a subset of reality, and so I woke up in my bed and I was like, “Whoa, what was I doing for six months?” That's crazy. I can't even imagine that. That feels like a beautiful dream that I was living and this is real life. So yeah, kind of weird.

At what point during the world tour did you think about capturing it in a film like this?

We had the idea of making this film early on. It was so lucky that we had so much ticket demand for this tour. We sold so many tickets and it was so insane and crazy to meet people in real life, on the street, and they're like, "Oh, I wish I could have come, but I wasn't able to get a ticket." And so I was really excited about the prospect of doing this movie because it meant that people who maybe weren't able to get a seat this time around were able to see the show. That makes me really happy.

Do you have favorite concert films that helped inspire what you wanted this to look like?

It's more of a concert documentary, but the Katy Perry: Part of Me movie was such an inspiration for me. Just growing up, I just loved that movie so much, and so that'll always hold a special place in my heart as far as concert films go.

The scene where she gets the text about her divorce and then has to go on stage immediately after…

Oh my God. Literally burned in my brain.

Did you always know you were going to do an LA show for the filming?

Yes, I did, and it made it all the more exciting and all the more nerve-racking. When you're doing a tour, LA and New York are always the most scary shows for me because it's like everyone you know is in the audience, your record label's in the audience, this cool person that you really look up to came ,and you want to make sure that it's impressive. And so I was really nervous for these shows that we both filmed and all my friends came, but it turned out really good. I don't think I let the nerves get the better of me, but I definitely, definitely had some butterflies before stepping on stage.

“Katy Perry: Part of Me was such an inspiration for me. That'll always hold a special place in my heart as far as concert films go.”

Who in the audience, for all of your shows, made you the most nervous?

I really love Jack White so much, and he came to see the show in Nashville, and I was so scared. I felt petrified the entire time. It was one of the worst shows I ever did. It's fine. He's sweet. He forgives me anyway, but I was so, so scared. But yeah, we pulled through. It was okay.

For the shows you filmed, how much were you paying attention to the cameras?

You know what? I grew up acting. I was in shows growing up, and so playing to camera is oddly a second nature thing for me, and sometimes I feel like I'm way more comfortable playing to camera than I am playing to an audience, just because I have so many years of experience under my belt. But watching the film back, that was one of the fun parts, even if you were in the audience, is that I really played to that camera and you get to see perspectives of the show that you would never get to see if you were standing in the pit or just sitting in a seat. That's why I'm excited for people who maybe have even come to the show and lived it with me in real life, I still think that they're going to be able to get some excitement out of this movie.

Throughout the tour, do you watch the TikToks fans post from the show?

I definitely see some TikToks and videos that people make of them going to the show, but it was a funny experience to sit down and watch this show from beginning to end for this film, because I've lived with this show for the past year of my life. I know the show like the back of my hand, and yet I've never gotten a chance to actually watch it as an audience member. And so it was a really fun experience. Good to see it from another perspective.

I also do love that there's so many moments that focus on the fans' faces, which gives the audience at home a feeling of what it felt like to be there.

I know, totally. Yeah, you get to see my point of view, too. You get to see what the audience looks like from up on stage. There's a song “Making the Bed” where the camera is behind me, and you can see my point of view, what it looks like when all the audience members put their flashlights up and how beautiful that looks for me on stage. And so just moments like that that I think are really special that you don't get to see just getting a seat at a concert.

“I definitely see some TikToks that people make going to the show.”

At what point did you think to include your performance with Chappell Roan in the film?

I knew I was filming and then Chappell agreed to be in the film, which was so, so sweet. It's one of my favorite little bits of the movie. I've heard so many loud screams in my life, but never have I ever heard a scream as loud as the one I heard when I announced that Chappell was coming on stage with me. People were so stoked and the energy was just off the charts.

Did you guys practice the choreo beforehand or was that all improvised?

I had this idea of, whenever I listened to the song, I think of bouncing and kicking your butt with your heels. I was like, "Girl, can we please do this? I want to hold you and kick our feet." And she was like, "Okay. I want to run. Let's run all the way across the stage." And I said, "Okay, deal." And did both of our choreography and we kind of married the two together. But I like that you think that we didn't practice and had the same sync, so maybe we'll keep it at that.

When I saw the show at MSG, you brought out Jewel as your special guest.

That was so special. I loved that so much. I also got the chance to talk to her. I'd never gotten the opportunity to have a conversation with her, and she's just the coolest, kindest person ever, and I am obsessed with her music. She just heals my little singer-songwriter heart. So that was a really special moment and kind of like a bridging of generations too, which was fun.

Were there any guests that you really tried to get to come out that didn't work for scheduling or for some reason?

There are certainly so many. I guess you'll just have to watch the next tour.I can't show all my cards yet.

Who would be your ultimate dream duet?

I just saw Stevie Nicks on SNL. I thought that was just the most beautiful, wonderful thing ever. And if I could sing with her, I think I would just die happy.

In the movie, you talk about song ideas coming to you at inconvenient times. Were you able to work on new music at all during the tour?

I actually was able to write on tour. On my first tour, it was hard and I couldn't get anything good. But for this one, I was on tour for so long, and I feel like I was learning and growing so much as an individual in my personal life, and also just traveling to all these places that I'd never been. So it was inspiring. I have written a few things on the road that maybe will come out one day.

“I just saw Stevie Nicks on SNL. If I could sing with her, I think I would just die happy.”

I hope you're taking time for a break first.

Definitely. I have three more days of work and I'm going to take the rest of the year off, I'm so excited about it.

Last question, and perhaps the most important one: what are you doing with all of your tour outfits?

That is such a good question. I actually have no idea where they went. My wardrobe girl took them home to LA and they're probably sitting in storage somewhere, but I should dust them off. I should put them somewhere. Put them in frames and commemorate them.

No, you need to wear them!

.Maybe I will. Maybe for Halloween, if I really run out of ideas, I'll just dress up as myself.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.