Olindslide” at the pop singer’s inaugural Daisy Chain Fields festival,as it was announced that the event had raised $20m for women-focused organisations – aided by a donation from Melinda French Gates
Rodrigo, 23, put on the star-studded event on Saturday (29 August) in Irvine, California, with performances from artists including Nicks, Karen O, Chappell Roan, Doechii, Bikini Kill, Rachel Chinouriri, Garbage, The Breeders and Mitski
The festival was inspired by Lilith Fair, which was co-founded by Sarah McLachlan in 1997 in response to the misogyny she and her peers were facing in the music industry
McLachlan was a special guest at Rodrigo’s festival; the “Drop Dead” star brought her out during her headline set and said without Lilith Fair, “there would be no Daisy Chain”
They performed two of McLachlan’s songs – “Building a Mystery” and “Angel” – and dedicated them to Dolly Parton following the country music icon’s death aged 80
Rodrigo then invited out Alanis Morissette for a singalong to her 1996 hit “Ironic”, after which Nicks joined her onstage for Fleetwood Mac’s 1975 song “Landslide”
During her set, Rodrigo performed a number of tracks from her latest album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, and debuted her new single “Serena Joy”, which was inspired by Margaret Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale
Before she began her performance, Rodrigo thanked all of the musicians who took part in the festival: “The fact that they took the time out of their insanely busy schedules to come and do this festival for free is something I’m so grateful for,” she said
“Because of that, and because of all of you who came to hang out today, I can stand on the stage and say we are donating $10m to 10 incredible charities. I really believe that giving women the tools to decide their own futures and live healthy lives free of violence and discrimination is the most effective tool we have at changing the world for the better.”
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Rodrigo then introduced Melinda French Gates, praising her as “one of the most inspiring women I’ve ever met”
“She’s devoted her life to empowering women and girls that might have otherwise been forgotten,” Rodrigo said
“She’s generous and brave and has done so much good in this world, and I’m totally floored because as well as being in attendance here tonight, she’s pledged to double every dollar that we made here today to a grand total of funds being donated to $20m. I’m so grateful!”
For her part, Gates called Rodrigo “a force” and praised her for “showing a new generation how much their voices matter”
The funds raised will be split equally among 10 beneficiary organisations: Baby2Baby, Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Center for Reproductive Rights, FreeFrom, Jhpiego, John Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health, National Domestic Workers Alliance, National Institute for Reproductive Health, National Women’s Law Center, and Planned Parenthood
It comes as PresidentDonald Trumpattemptsto overhaul family planning grants that reproductive health clinics use to provide birth control and treat sexually transmitted infections. His administration paused $27.5 million last year for such organizations, including some Planned Parenthood affiliates, before officials agreed to restore the money
Rodrigo and her festival co-organisers have hinted that the event will return, as a post to its Instagram page showed the huge crowds in attendance with the caption: “One year down, and we’ll just keep growing.”
On the eve of the festival, she shared a statement that said Daisy Chain Fields was created “to celebrate the power of what can happen when we come together to support one another”
“The organisations we’ve partnered with are doing incredibly important work every single day in the US and globally,” she continued. “I’m so grateful to every person who bought a ticket, every artist who waived their fee, every sponsor for signing onto a brand new festival, and every donation that helped get to $10m dollars to support women and girls.”
Additional reporting by Associated Press
