Olivia Rodrigo’s Inaugural Daisy Chain Fields Will Be a Showing of Unity — Even for Photographers

On the eve of the Olivia Rodrigo‘s Daisy Chain Fields, the superstar singer turned up Friday afternoon in Santa Monica where she revealed that her inaugural female forward music festival would be donating $10 million to a variety of causes. “Daisy Chain Fields was created to celebrate the power of what can happen when we come together to support one another,” she said while joined by executives from 10 nonprofits to pump the massive showing of support for their women-centric causes. That support is expected to be spread across all corners at Great Park in Irvine, Calif. on Saturday — both in front of and behind the camera. The Hollywood Reporter hears that Rodrigo was passionate about lifting up as many women as possible throughout the event that it will largely feature female photographers capturing the stage and ancillary activations. (That includes trans, nonbinary or gender nonconforming individuals.) It is also known that while it was a goal of the event, Rodrigo and organizers mounted the entire affair with an inclusionary rather than exclusionary mission, so it’s not a hard-and-fast rule that every photographer be a woman. “Good vibes” were most important. Still, it would be quite a feat to pull off. Back in 2018, a group of 82 women climbed the steps of the Palais during the Cannes Film Festival to shine a spotlight on the lack of female directors who have had a chance to screen their films at the iconic gathering. At the time, a female photographer pointed out what a powerful moment it was despite the fact that it was captured by hundreds of male photographers, and only a handful of women photographers. Behind the scenes, photography and videography remains a field largely dominated by men. “It’s ironic women stood in solidarity and had a moment of silence while being shot by 500 male photographers objectifying the hell out of them,” the photographer explained at the time. That won’t be the case Saturday. Daisy Chain Fields, presented by Rodrigo, will feature performances by the singer alongside Bikini Kill, Chappell Roan, Devon Again, Die Spitz, Doechii, Eli, Garbage, Mitski, Not For Radio, Quiet Light, Rachel Cinouriri, Santigold and The Breeders, with special guests Karen O, Sarah MacLachlan and Stevie Nicks. They were able to raise $10 million through sponsors and the fact that the artists set to hit the stage are doing so for free. As THR reported today, the money will be dispersed to 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.