Olivia Rodrigo is getting candid about the anxiety she experienced while touring the world for her massively successful GUTS tour.
In a recent interview with Cosmopolitan, the 23-year-old singer revealed that being away from home for long stretches made life on the road emotionally challenging.
“I’m serving anxious forever,” Rodrigo admitted. “I was really nervous the first 10 shows of the GUTS tour. It was hard to be away from home and not have any sense of normalcy.”
The “Good 4 U” hitmaker explained that the pressure of touring eventually took a toll on her mental and emotional well-being.
“I was freaking out; my nervous system was crashing out,” she recalled. “I still get anxious. It’s just different than when I was younger.”
Despite the nerves, Rodrigo shared that she has developed a simple technique to help calm herself while performing live.
“I always pick out a person and just sing to them; everyone else is just on the side,” she explained.
Elsewhere in the interview, Rodrigo reflected on one of the most meaningful stops on the 16-month tour — performing in the Philippines for the first time. The Filipino-American singer described the experience as unforgettable.
“This sounds so cheesy, but the power of music,” she shared. “I had never been to the Philippines in my life, and being able to go there and play in an arena of 55,000 people is so crazy.”
Rodrigo also said seeing fans connect with her music made the emotional challenges of touring worthwhile.
“I loved watching the young girls in the crowd sing songs like Traitor,” she added.
The “Drivers License” superstar is preparing to hit the road again this fall for The Unraveled Tour, which will support her upcoming third studio album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love. The album is scheduled for release on June 12.
