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Guitar World
Guitar World
Entertainment
Michael Astley-Brown

Move over Taylor Swift: Olivia Rodrigo is this generation’s Eddie Van Halen – her Glastonbury performance proved it

Olivia Rodrigo performs in the headline slot on the Pyramid Stage at the end of day five of Glastonbury festival 2025 at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 29, 2025 in Glastonbury, England.

Nearly a decade ago, YouTube commentators were furiously debating whether Taylor Swift was “the new Eddie Van Halen”.

It wasn’t because their guitar styles are remotely similar. The comparison was simply due to their ability to inspire. Here was a hugely visible musician, motivating a new generation of players – especially young girls – to pick up the guitar, in the same way that Eddie Van Halen did in the 1980s.

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