When Olivia Rodrigo does something, she doesn’t do it by halves. Oh no.
For the inaugural Daisy Chain Fields festival in Irvine, California, she pulled together a huge all-women lineup, got the artists to waive their performance fees, and raised $10 million for organisations supporting women and girls.
Then Melinda French Gates did what only Melinda French Gates could do – she doubled it.
The surprise came during Rodrigo’s headline set, when French Gates walked onstage and announced that her organisation Pivotal would match the festival’s entire $10 million haul, taking the total to $20 million.
For a first-year festival, that is a pretty serious result.
Daisy Chain Fields brought together Chappell Roan, Doechii, Mitski, Garbage and Stevie Nicks alongside Rodrigo, with the event loosely inspired by Lilith Fair.
Because the artists waived their performance fees, net proceeds from ticket sales, sponsorships and merchandise could be directed straight to charity.
“I’m totally floored,” Rodrigo said after the announcement. “I’m so incredibly grateful to Melinda and Pivotal for believing in this mission and making the impact of our first festival twice as powerful.”
The $20 million will now be split between 10 organisations, including Baby2Baby, Black Mamas Matter Alliance, the Center for Reproductive Rights, FreeFrom, Planned Parenthood and the National Women’s Law Center.
Together, the organisations work across maternal health, reproductive rights, domestic violence support, workers’ rights and economic security.
“When women and girls come together to dream and to lead, we change the world,” French Gates told the crowd.
The French Gates match made for the big headline, but Rodrigo had already done the hard part.
She built a festival around a clear cause, got a huge lineup on board, and raised $10 million on the first run.
Doubling it to $20 million was a very good way to finish the night.
