Olivia Rodrigo recalls anxious moment before Glastonbury set

Olivia Rodrigo has revealed she came close to an anxiety attack in the bathroom moments before headlining Glastonbury Festival in 2025, one of the biggest performances of her career to date.

Speaking to BBC in an interview published on Wednesday, 10 June, the 23-year-old singer described the nerves that gripped her backstage before taking the stage. 

"I remember having a near anxiety attack in the bathroom, like, 'How am I going to do this? I don't know if I'm ready,'" she said. 

The moment she stepped out in front of the crowd, though, everything shifted. 

"Something overcame me the second I stepped on stage and started singing. I felt totally calm and so in my element. I'm not very spiritual or religious, but it's moments like that where I feel music is just so magical that you just can't really describe it."

The nerves made sense given how much the festival means to her.

Rodrigo spoke of the "reverence" she feels for Glastonbury and its heritage, and the enormous amount of preparation she poured into the set. 

"I put so much love and care into that set and spent so much time thinking about it. The fact that it translated... It was totally a dream come true." 

She described the weekend as one of the best of her life.

Rodrigo first appeared at Glastonbury in 2022 before returning in 2025 for a headlining slot that included a memorable guest appearance from The Cure's Robert Smith, with the pair performing Just Like Heaven and Friday I'm in Love together. 

Now she turns her attention to her third studio album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, which is out on 12 June. 

The title itself came from a moment in the studio with producer Dan Nigro. 

"I was having a conversation with him and he said, 'You seem pretty sad for a girl so in love,' and I was like, 'Oh my God, that's exactly what I've been trying to go for,'" she told Dazed. 

"I just think the title captures what I was trying to go for: the pitfalls of being in love. It is a little bit of a mouthful... but it's worth it. I'm obsessed with the title."

Two singles, Drop Dead and The Cure, are already out ahead of the album. 

After its release, Rodrigo will head out on The Unraveled Tour, running from September 2026 through to May 2027.