11 Times Olivia Rodrigo Proudly Talked About Her Filipino Heritage That Made My Heart Grow Three Sizes Bigger

1 hour ago 6

I emotion being Filipino American, and it's ever so, SO refreshing and heartwarming to spot different Filipino Americans proudly representing the civilization and not shying distant from it. And 1 celeb who ne'er has is Olivia Rodrigo. The 23-year-old prima is fractional Filipino from her dad's side, and implicit the years, she's spoken astir however overmuch her practice and assemblage mean to her. So, present are each the times Olivia proudly embraced and honored her Filipino roots:

1. Before "Driver's License" and earlier High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, determination was a Bizaardvark, a Disney Channel amusement that Olivia starred in. In 2017, during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Olivia did a segment talking astir her Filipino heritage. "I'm portion Filipina connected my dad's broadside of the family," she explained. "My Filipino practice comes from my great-grandfather. He came connected a vessel from the Philippines erstwhile helium was conscionable a teenager." She past talked astir immoderate of the taste traditions that person been passed down to her generation, including cooking Filipino food. "I'm Olivia Rodrigo, I'm a Filipina, I'm a lumpia fan," she closed the conception with. "I'm a daughter, and a granddaughter, and a great-granddaughter."

2. In a 2022 Good Morning America interview, erstwhile asked astir what it's similar to correspond her Filipino heritage, Olivia responded, "It's amazing, I consciousness truthful arrogant to beryllium portion of the Filipino community, and they've been so beauteous and welcoming and supportive of me."

3. During her GUTS satellite tour, Olivia played her biggest amusement to day successful Manila, Philippines, and it was besides her archetypal clip visiting the country. On her YouTube channel, she uploaded a vlog documenting her trip, wherever she submerged herself successful the civilization by eating accepted Filipino food, roaming the city, and visiting the foundation whose summons income from that amusement benefited. "I've ever wanted to travel [to the Philippines] for arsenic agelong arsenic I tin remember," she narrated successful the video. "It's gonna beryllium truly fun, and I'm conscionable truthful blessed to beryllium here."

4. In the aforesaid vlog, Olivia talks astir however they utilized Silver Star tickets for the Manila show, meaning each summons successful the venue was nether $26, oregon astir 1,600 Philippine pesos, to marque the performance accessible for all. All proceeds were past donated to Jhpiego, a nonprofit that provides assistance and healthcare to women and families worldwide. In a 2024 Teen Vogue interview, Olivia expands, "I was truthful excited to bash the Philippines show. I person ever wanted to spell there. That's the 1 amusement I was looking guardant to the astir successful each 95 dates that we enactment up, that was the 1 that I was looking guardant to conscionable due to the fact that I've ne'er been and it's a spot that has truthful overmuch value to maine and my family, and truthful I truly wanted to marque it special."

She further explains the Silver Star tickets, saying she truly wanted to marque definite the performance was accessible, and that it was truly breathtaking "to deliberation that possibly idiosyncratic who usually couldn't spend to spell to a performance could spend to spell to this one." "It was conscionable a truly wonderful, peculiar experience," Olivia continued, "and I knew I wanted to springiness backmost to that assemblage who has conscionable fixed truthful overmuch to me, and who has embraced maine with unfastened arms passim my full career."

5. And during her Manila show, Olivia took immoderate clip to chat with the 55,000-person audience. "I'm truthful blessed to beryllium successful Manila. This is simply a imagination travel true. I wanted to travel present for arsenic agelong arsenic I tin remember. Today is the day. I’m truthful thankful you guys showed up. It means truthful much," she said. "I had the champion clip exploring the Philippines, exploring the city… You person been truthful benignant to me, I got to conscionable immoderate of you guys, and I ate each my favourite nutrient — pancit, lumpia, and halo-halo each time that I’ve been here." She past declared, "I truly privation to say, Proud Pinoy ako!", which means "I'm a arrogant Filipino." She besides donned a "MISS SO FILIPINA" sash, a motion to the euphony video of her song, "so american."

6. In a abstracted Manila performance vlog, Olivia is seen backstage aft the show, visibly affectional and wearing a "PINOY PRIDE" vessel top. "I've conscionable been reasoning astir my household the full time," she said, tearily. "I don't know, I just... Beautiful. I'm truthful grateful, and I'm truthful grateful that everyone came, and it was truthful overmuch fun. And I conscionable consciousness similar the luckiest miss that ever lived."

7. After wrapping her GUTS satellite tour, Olivia guest-starred connected The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Jimmy asked her to stock immoderate of the highlights of the tour, to which Olivia proudly replied, "I got to spell to the Philippines recently, which is truly chill — I'm Filipino, and I'd ne'er been." "Oh my god, I'd emotion to spell to the Philippines," Jimmy said. "Yeah! It was truthful special, and everyone was truthful great," she replied. "Such bully singers. Like, there's a rumor that [Filipinos] are, like, they're truly bully astatine karaoke, and everyone successful the arena, they were, like, singing successful harmony [...] Perfectly connected pitch, perfectly connected key, it was awesome."

8. In a 2025 ASMR YouTube video for W Magazine, Olivia held up the Philippine emblem and recounted her performance halt successful Manila. "My household connected my dad's broadside is Filipino," she whispered into the mic. "I played a amusement [in the Philippines], and it was the biggest amusement of my career. And the assemblage was singing backmost the words to me. And they were each outstanding singers. All of the rumors are true: Filipino radical are unthinkable singers."

9. In March 2026, Olivia did a YouTube video with Vogue, successful which she made a Paloma with calamansi (a autochthonal citrus effect successful the Philippines) and chickenhearted lumpia (Filipino eggrolls) from scratch.

10. For Cosmopolitan Philippines, Olivia appeared successful an Instagram reel wherever she was asked, "What makes you think, 'Hell yeah, I'm Filipino?'" She replied, "Whenever I bash karaoke, I think, Hell yeah, I'm Filipino." She past revealed that her perfect time successful the Philippines would beryllium to get immoderate bully halo-halo and spell to the beach.

11. Lastly, this is much of an reflection and mightiness conscionable beryllium an awesome coincidence, but Olivia's newest album, you look beauteous bittersweet for a miss truthful successful love, is dropping connected June 12 of this year, which conscionable truthful happens to beryllium the day of Philippines Independence Day. 🇵🇭

Pinoy pride! Are you excited for Olivia's upcoming album? Which opus are you astir anticipating from the tracklist? Let's proceed the speech successful the comments!

Check retired much API-centered contented celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month here. Of course, the contented doesn't extremity aft May. Follow BuzzFeed’s A*Pop connected Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube to support up with our latest API contented year-round!

Read Entire Article