“It’s Guts eve! Happy Guts eve!” came the sweetly excited voice of Olivia Rodrigo to a room full of shocked fans at last night’s Guts Gallery preview night.
Contrary to what I presume would be popular belief, the newly established holiday of Guts eve (which sounds pretty gnarly out of context) was not at all the confusing part. If you were a patron of that room, you more than likely had Guts eve marked on your calendar since June 26th of this year, when Olivia revealed that her Sophomore album would be releasing on September 8th. The shock rather came from the person who was announcing the holiday, and at Olivia and her team’s ability to pull off the surprise of a lifetime for the room full of adoring fans who had no idea she’d be making an appearance at the popup that night.
If you’d asked anyone in the top 1% of Olivia Rodrigo Spotify fans what they were up to on Thursday night, all answers would probably be pretty similar. On Tuesday, a select number of very lucky fans received an exclusive email with an extremely eye catching subject line: Olivia Rodrigo Invites you to Guts Gallery!
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 07: Olivia Rodrigo attends as SPOTIFY x AMEX PRESENT: GUTS Gallery Pop-Up Experience in NYC on September 07, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Spotify)
“Spotify and American Express are teaming up with Olivia Rodrigo to create a special, highly-curated experience, bringing GUTS to life, and enabling fans to get a behind-the-scenes look at the new album,” the email continued. “GUTS Gallery will be open all weekend long from September 8-10 in New York. As a top fan, we are excited to welcome you to the experience before anyone else – and invite you to an exclusive preview on Thursday, September 7th, from 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM EST.”
The line outside of the popup (which is taking place in Manhattan’s meatpacking district from Friday through Sunday this weekend) was buzzing with anticipation for what was inside, but the reality of the situation was more than anyone could imagine. Not only had the fans been invited to an exclusive sneak peak of the highly anticipated walk through experience curated by Olivia, they had also been invited to an exclusive Q&A moderated by Eva Chen.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 07: Olivia Rodrigo and Eva Chen attend as SPOTIFY x AMEX PRESENT: GUTS Gallery Pop-Up Experience in NYC on September 07, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Spotify)
The interactive 4 room installation (which you can read all about here!) was house-party themed, after the music video for Olivia’s latest single, Bad Idea, Right? It featured a large living room with a couch at the center, where Olivia perched on while chatting with fans (who sat on a combination of pillows and chairs throughout the room.) The environment couldn’t have been cozier, and it was truly a one of a kind experience for everyone involved, as such intimate moments with a global superstar like Olivia can be so few and far between.
Olivia’s kind voice was heard just before she was seen, as an affectionate “Hi guys!” came through the living room’s speakers just as all heads whipped around at once to see her emerging from a curtain to the left of the couch. “Oh my gosh, thank you so much for coming! Hi! How are you guys? I really appreciate it!”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 07: A view of the venue as SPOTIFY x AMEX PRESENT: GUTS Gallery Pop-Up Experience in NYC on September 07, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Spotify)
The evening began with a listening party for a few songs from GUTS, which wouldn’t be released until midnight that night. “So, I’m so nervous,” Olivia said. “So I’m going to actually go while you listen to them, but I’ll be back!”
As promised, Olivia returned to another round of cheering after attendees were treated to an exclusive (phone free) first look at Get Him Back, Logical, Teenage Dream and All American Babe. She sat down with Eva, who began the discussion with a story of how she introduced Olivia to Anna Wintour when she was 15. “And in August,” Eva said, “Olivia was on the cover of Vogue Magazine.”
The warm conversation focused on the ins and outs of the makings and meanings of GUTS, as well as the need-to-know things like “Do you like my outfit?” “What’s your favorite pizza topping?” and “Would you dye your hair?”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 07: A view of the venue as SPOTIFY x AMEX PRESENT: GUTS Gallery Pop-Up Experience in NYC on September 07, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Spotify)
The final note of the Q&A saw Eva asking Olivia about her advice for the room around her. “A lot of people here are teens, a lot of people are in their twenties, everyones going through something. What advice would you give the people in this room, for how to find their own success and also how to find their path?”
“I’m a big believer in taking a step in any direction, even if you’re not sure where it’s going to lead,” Olivia said. “I think the only way you’re going to gain confidence is through experience and the only way you’re going to figure out who you are in this world is by making a ton of mistakes. I think actually, this record was sort of that for me. It was me just grappling with the mistakes I’ve made in my life or the things I wish I didn’t do, or things that I thought were really embarrassing. But I think just growing from stuff like that is the only way you can figure out who you want to be in this world. So I just say, don’t be afraid to make mistakes.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 07: A view of the venue as SPOTIFY x AMEX PRESENT: GUTS Gallery Pop-Up Experience in NYC on September 07, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Spotify)
Stream GUTS here!
