Olivia Rodrigo performs at Glastonbury 2025. Credit: Andy Ford for NME

Olivia Rodrigo says she had an “anxiety attack” before her Glastonbury 2025 headline set

"I have such a reverence for the festival, so I put so much love and care into that set"

by · NME

Olivia Rodrigo said she experienced an “anxiety attack” before her headline set at Glastonbury Festival 2025.

The popstar took to the Pyramid Stage on Sunday last year, where she teamed up with Robert Smith to perform The Cure classics ‘Friday I’m In Love’ and ‘Just Like Heaven’. It was her second time at the festival, having made her Glasto debut on The Other Stage in 2022.

Now, Rodrigo has reflected on the moments before taking to the stage, telling the BBC: “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.'”

“But something overcame me the second I stepped on stage and started singing,” she added. “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.”

Rodrigo also described playing at festival as “probably the best weekend of my life”, adding: “I have such a reverence for the festival and the incredible heritage and artists that have played on that stage, so 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.”

We gave Rodrigo’s 2025 Glastonbury headline set a 4-star review, writing: “There is no doubt about the commitment that Rodrigo has put into this set. For the few naysayers doubting whether or not the 22-year-old was ready to take on the coveted Pyramid slot as the last headliner before a fallow year, this one that will stand the test of time and leave us impatient for the Glasto magic to return.”

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The popstar is preparing to release her third studio album ‘You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love’, which arrives tomorrow (June 12) via Geffen – pre-order/pre-save here.

Alongside singles ‘Drop Dead‘ and ‘The Cure‘, the album will also feature a duet between Rodrigo and Robert Smith called ‘What’s Wrong With Me’ – which the singer debuted with The Cure frontman in tow at her surprise Primavera Sound set.

In a recent interview with British Vogue, Rodrigo said the album consists of “sad love songs”, adding: “I realised all my favourite romantic love songs were beautiful because they had a tinge of fear or yearning in them.”

Elsewhere, Olivia Rodrigo recalls being “out of my element” partying with Charli XCX.