One thing about Olivia Rodrigo is that the girl loves music. Like truly, deeply, loves music and its history. Whether she’s yapping about her obsession with The White Stripes, singing along to Pulp, or performing with Robert Smith from The Cure, her adoration of music is always at the centre. Her respect for the artists who have come before her was evident in an announcement this week.
After the success of You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love, Olivia has launched Daisy Chain Fields – an all-women music festival aimed at bringing meaningful change for women and girls, celebrating unique voices in the industry, and raising funds for nonprofit organisations dedicated to advocacy. With 100% of the net proceeds going to the charities involved, this event marks an important shift not only for women in music, but for women. Point blank. Period.
It’s a moment to champion artists we love, have difficult conversations, and stand together for something we believe in. And clearly, Miss Rodrigo stands 10 toes down for the shit she believes in.
The event is heavily influenced by Sarah McLachlan’s Lilith Fair, a 90s music festival that saw the likes of Tracy Chapman, Fiona Apple, Erykah Badu, and Missy Elliott performing for a similar cause. In response to a sexist industry, claiming tours wouldn’t sell if they featured more than one woman, McLachlan travelled the country with the most iconic female singers and songwriters to prove those pricks wrong. And prove them wrong she did. The festival took place during the summers of 1997 to 1999, with a revival in 2010, and a documentary in 2025.
Talking about the iconic festival during a Q&A, Sarah said, “I do think it needs a reinvention of sorts, but if something like this were to exist, it would need to be championed by a young artist, someone of today, like an Olivia Rodrigo.” And in a lovely full-circle moment, Sarah will be making a guest appearance at Daisy Chain Fields. Ahhhhh my heart!!!!!
Ugh and I haven’t even spoken about the insane lineup. We’re talking Chappell Roan, Rachel Chinouriri, Stevie Nicks, Bikini Kill, Katseye, and Mitski. I’m certain whoever goes to this is gonna break their PB in steps after bolting from stage to stage. Seeing smaller acts given the same treatment as the big stars is a really sweet touch. You never see a festival lineup like that – no ego, no fighting for bigger real estate on the poster, just nicely placed in alphabetical order. Another testament to the pure intention of the acts is the fact they’re appearing on the bill for free… and even with no financial gain, they’re just as keen as any other festival.
Eli, a performer on the lineup, shared the gorgeous bouquet of flowers she received from Olivia, thanking her for being a part of such a special day. Olivia is the loveliest!! Ever!! The girl has no bad bone in her body!! And if she’s ever cancelled, you can come back here and tell me I’m an idiot (it’s never happening. You will never call me an idiot).
To think, this little six-year-old diva singing “Don’t Stop Believing” has made her mark on the world so early in her career, not only with her vulnerable music, but with real change and support to the people who need it most.
I honestly couldn’t care less if you don’t like Olivia’s music, she’s not for everyone and that’s okay. But you can’t deny her selflessness and drive. We’re in a climate where speaking up for the things you care about can often damage your career or turn the masses away. There are a lot of artists who only talk the talk and big-note themselves about standing up for change, but don’t wanna face the potential repercussions. Well, Olivia’s doing the damn thing!! – Abbey
Hi, Frank checking in!! A lot of us, myself included, turn to the internet for help when going through a tough time. So, when life doesn’t go as planned, having access to a safe, anonymous place to chat and get support is not only important, but necessary. With a wide range of options, ReachOut’s free, anonymous support is the first step you can take towards feeling better! You can hear about the valuable resources that ReachOut provides here for the next few weeks. And we can check in with each other by asking have you “been feeling like this?”
I’m at a point in my life where the things I usually turn to for stress relief – gardening, junk journaling, obsessively petting dogs – just aren’t working like they used to. So lately I’ve been focused on unwinding in the unexpected.
I’ve seen monks who listen to heavy metal to meditate, our resident gamer Lia finds comfort in playing horror games, and as someone who grew up hundreds of kilometers away from the ocean, I never thought I’d have such an appreciation for the beach as a space to relieve stress. Looking at these unconventional tools has reminded me that finding what works for you is not a linear journey and the tools of yesterday’s stress relief might not be today’s answer.
ReachOut is an Australian mental health service that allows you to explore what else might work for you with an extensive range of resources, an online and anonymous Peer Chat service, and if you’re as music-obsessed as me, they even have playlists from Odette and Montaigne to get you started on expanding your toolkit and your music taste.
Want to learn more about ReachOut? Head here for more resources <3
some things on our radar this week:
I simply cannot resist a game where choice and consequences are key mechanics. But a title where the protagonist can actually disagree with you? Colour me INCREDIBLY intrigued. Where Birds Sleep (trailer here) is an independent narrative adventure game where you do not play as the character of Cormo (voiced by our lord and saviour Neil Newbon), you’re inside his rotten mind, battling his conscience for control, and every decision “leaves a mark on his psyche.” DELICIOUS. No release date for this yet, but for the love of god go wishlist it on Steam RIGHT NOW and show the indie devs at Quiet Little Feet some love. - Soph
Idk about everyone else, but I used to be *obsessed* with watching Among Us gameplay wayyyy back during the dark times (COVID lockdown — what a time…). I rly have so much to thank it for, including my teenage self stumbling upon the likes of Corpse Husband (his voice?? I ate that shit up, ngl), Dream, Valkyrie, Sykkuno and Toast. So when I’d heard that the game was being adapted into a TV show, I was both excited and a littleee confused. My immediate question: how the heck does one turn the pure chaos of that multiplayer game into a streamlined story, and do it well?? The follow-up: how do you even begin to characterise the colours??? Tbh, I was not expecting much. And boy, was I pleasantly surprised. The Among Us show was genuinely the perfect blend of light and dark humour with animated gore and fast-paced storytelling. I felt like it was superrr reminiscent of the adult animation styles I’d initially fallen in love with. Can you tell I’m a fan?? — Nish
If I’ve got a sixth sense, it’s a super radar with a single frequency set to ‘Dan and Phil’. I had a gut feeling last week and a coupla clues but it’s official: we’re getting a tour babyyyyyy! The Hard Launch World Tour is gonna be Dan and Phil’s fourth trip around the globe (to as many places as possible) but their first time without hiding something so dear to them. I wrote a bit more about it here if you’re phannie-inclined and wanna :’)))))) with me — Talecia <3
cool shit we’ve done recently:
TDE veteran Isaiah Rashad n Frank yapped about finding sanctuary in the studio.
We dropped the full transcript from Abbey’s chat w Ruel
Got breakup tips from Talecia’s chat w Yorke
songs to add to your playlist rn:
Her humour, her rapping technicality, and a bunch of Conductor beats to go in the mix, Whack’s Museum is easily one of most lyrically dense (and fun) rap albums I’ve listened to this year. It’s a short runtime of only 27 minutes which is signature Whack fashion but none of her projects have made me want more this much. Selfishly hoping the wait for whatever’s next won’t be as long.
Oh you thought BOY SODA was finished? Drop a debut album, perform an R&B cover of Panic! At The Disco, win an ARIA award, tour the country and then probably take a break right? Wrong. BOY SODA gives SOULSTAR the deluxe treatment with three new songs and the previously released ‘Chase Your Tail’ and ‘Elements’. The BOY SODA run gets even better.
Off the back of a string of live performances and recent features alongside Eleftherios and Mali Jo$e, Sydney vocalist Yasmina Sadiki returns with ‘Craving’. Speaking on the mesmerising alt-jazz and neo-soul single, Sadiki shares: “It tells a story about how music is not only my outlet but my saviour. It’s a place where I become both my most vulnerable and my most powerful self...” The debut EP, Made for the past, is otw!
(Save this playlist btw, updating every week!!)
Toy Story 5 (2026) | had me immediately booking in playdates with my friends
Revisiting the Toy Story franchise in anticipation of its latest instalment reminded me how deeply human these toys could really get. Identity crises, abandonment issues, grieving a part of yourself that doesn’t exist anymore — this shit gets deep. Toy Story 5 is no exception, taking on the oft-discussed tech versus physical play that plagues parents, so I’ve heard. For those watching for their inner child as opposed to an IRL one, this movie explores making friends in the big new scary world and how valuable “playtime” is in order to cultivate those friendships. We could all do with more of that.
Supergirl (2026) | the messy girl hero we all deserve
Where Superman was a charming return to the boy scout, lawfully good alignment of Clark Kent, Supergirl shows an endearingly messy version of a female hero we don’t see too often. I’m not familiar with the original comic book version of Supergirl, but the movie makes it clear that while she and cousin Clark, or Kal-El may share the same home planet, she’s had a very different life. Some of the fight scenes left me wanting more, but what I will say is that the final one was very endearing to me.
Spider-Man 2 (2004) | no wonder we kept making these
We truly are blessed with all the Spider-Men we could dream of, and I had an urge to return to the first one that got me hooked on the hero of the people. Upon rewatch, I found that I missed the wittier banter of other iterations of Peter Parker, but Tobey Maguire really set the tone for the ultimate dork by day, hero by night energy of Spider-Man that captured my attention as a kid. That interest has since been well-maintained by the likes of Andrew Garfield, Tom Holland, Sony’s animated Spider-Verse, Insomniac’s Spider-Man video games, Prime Video’s Spider-Noir. It’s a good time.
Junkee Media acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land where this newsletter was produced, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation.
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