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It’s that time of year again, BST Hyde Park is back! The festival series has established itself as one of the premiere music events in the UK with legends such as Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones and Paul Simon gracing the stages over the years.

This year, the festival has taken a different approach as the lineup mainly consists of some of the biggest current acts in music such as Olivia Rodrigo, Noah Kahan, Zach Bryan and Sabrina Carpenter, introducing a whole new audience and demographic to the annual event.

Kickstarting the festival in style is singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo – which marks her biggest UK performance to date.  Olivia Rodrigo rose to fame as a child actor in Disney movies and shows but became a global megastar as a solo artist following the release of her debut album, ‘SOUR’ in 2021.

The energy in the crowd was incredible from the first moment and this continued throughout the set, especially during one of the early highlights, ‘Vampire’ – which was a number 1 hit in the UK. It was an atmospheric rendition as the sun was setting in the London sky and the lights on stage turned red. If you had recently watched Sinners, it would have you watching over your shoulder.

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The artist showcased her versatility as she slowed down the pace and sat on the piano to sing the moving ballad, ‘driver’s license’, before rocking the crowd once again with ‘obsessed.’

During the set, Olivia Rodrigo told the London crowd how much she loves the city as she enjoys “boiled eggs and soldiers for breakfast”, “sweets from M&S” and even a “British boy” (Louis Partridge) before launching into ‘so american.’

If you have seen Olivia Rodrigo’s performances at either Governor’s Ball or Glastonbury, then you’ll know she always has a trick up her sleeve – as she brought out special guests Talking Head’s David Byrne and The Cure’s Robert Smith respectively.

Tonight was no different as she invited Ed Sheeran to the stage, which was a huge moment that sent the London crowd into a frenzy with a rapturous applause. Rodrigo and Sheeran then proceeded to sing a beautiful rendition of A-Team – which was the British megastar’s first hit single.

At 22 years old, Olivia Rodrigo is the youngest headliner in the festival’s history. For someone who hasn’t even reached her peak as an artist and a performer, she is a force to be reckoned with as she controls the stage with such a commanding presence.

From the very first song, she has the audience singing word for word, waving their flashlights from side to side and just generally creating an incredible atmosphere in the 65,000-capacity crowd. With crowds this big, it’s incredibly difficult to keep everyone engaged in the show but Rodrigo did this effortlessly and it’s inevitable that she’ll be back on this stage in the years to come.