Sarah McLachlan on the Impact of Olivia Rodrigo’s Daisy Chain Fields: ‘It’s Really Heartening'

Nearly three decades after Lilith Fair ended, Daisy Chain Fields has entered the conversation.

The latter was formed by Olivia Rodrigo, one of today’s biggest pop stars. This past weekend, the singer hosted the one-day festival’s inaugural year, boasting an all-female lineup with acts including Chappell Roan, Doechii, Mitski, Bikini Kill, Garbage, Rachel Chinouiri and more.

It’s an idea Rodrigo told Rolling Stone that was bubbling for a few years and was inspired by Lilith Fair, the ‘90s music festival founded by Sarah McLachlan. The “drop dead” singer detailed the story of how she approached McLachlan about Daisy Chain, and how she was the first person Rodrigo revealed her plans to.

“I was so nervous to call you, and I was really cold, huddling by my fireplace in my house,” Rodrigo explained. “I was like, ‘Just do it! Just do it! She’s going to be really nice!’ I was so over the moon to receive your blessing and to get advice and support from you. That meant the world.”

Lilith Fair ran from 1997 to 1999 and was started after major music executives told McLachlan that a tour wouldn’t sell if they featured more than one woman. When she got the call that Rodrigo was going to create a music festival in a similar vein, she was fully on board.

“Joy and elation in an instant,” she said. “I was like, ‘Hallelujah! Someone is finally taking the torch and carrying it forward.’”

During the conversation, Rodrigo explained that the festival was “obviously” inspired by Lilith Fair: “I remember hearing about it when I was a teenager, and my immediate reaction was just envy of all of the people who got to go and perform,” she shared.

She continued: “Reading about all of the barriers and obstacles that you guys faced was so inspiring, and I definitely would not be here without you.”

Rodrigo was one of the artists featured in Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery – The Untold Story, a documentary that featured archival footage and new interviews that celebrated the festival’s spirit and the future musicians — like Rodrigo — that it inspired.

“Women singer-songwriters of the ’90s, I’m constantly look to them for inspiration,” Rodrigo said over footage of her jamming with Sheryl Crow. “They’re my northern stars.”

Per Rolling Stone, she revealed that she first heard McLachlan’s music in Toy Story 2, but discovered 1997’s Surfacing as a teen. Featuring hits like “Angel” and “Building a Mystery,” the album spent one week at No. 1 on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart.

In many ways, Rodrigo is bringing the unifying spirit of Lilith Fair to younger generations. “It’s really heartening. It’s incredibly important, especially now, to show that women working together and coming together for a common goal of good can be really, really powerful,” she said.

The festival’s first edition was a major success, with the singer revealing they had raised $10 million for women-related charities. That amount was doubled by Melinda French Gates, bringing the total to $20 million.

While it’s not officially confirmed that Daisy Chain Fields will return for a second year, Rodrigo wrote: “until next yearrrrr 🌼🩷🌼🩷” in a recent Instagram caption.

“I’m just very inspired by you, and very moved by all that you do,” Rodrigo told McLachlan.

Watch the full conversation below.