Olivia Rodrigo is the biggest guitar artist on the planet right now. A champion of ’90s rock and guitar solos in general – with a tasty arsenal of electrics herself – she is shining a spotlight on the instrument unlike any other artist in pop right now.
Every member of the band gets their moment in her marathon live shows, but none more so than lead guitarist Arianna Powell, a jazz-schooled shredder who has previously torn up the fretboard with Halsey, Nick Jonas and the Black Eyed Peas.
Powell has typically favored Gretsch guitars throughout her career, but for Rodrigo’s guts spilled tour this year, she went in a shreddier direction. And her inspiration came from the hardcore band of the moment.
“When the summer shows were coming up, I was starting to get really inspired by this band, Turnstile,” she reveals to GW. “Everyone in Olivia's band is a huge fan – Olivia herself is a huge fan of Turnstile.
“I was watching their performances from this year and thinking, ‘Holy shit, this is so cool. They're playing Jacksons.’”
Powell is quick to note the trend for pointy guitars in unconventional contexts. Last year, we posited that metal guitars had finally gone mainstream, with Phoebe Bridgers, Willow and even Pete Townshend donning spiky guitars.
“There’s also this indie band that I've loved for a while called Dehd – and the guitar player is playing this really obnoxiously bright, lime green Kramer,” she continues. “It's so fun to have these shredder guitars in these different contexts, whether it be an indie band or a pop band. It's taking it away from just your traditional ’80s hair metal band.
“That was my thought with the Jackson: ‘That's a departure from anything I've ever played on a gig, but it would be a really sick vibe.’”
Powell’s American Series Soloist featured prominently at Rodrigo’s closing headline set at one of the biggest music events in the world, Glastonbury Festival. But, as she reveals, it very nearly got vetoed by management.
“I wanted to have something really bright and almost obnoxious,” she says. “They [Jackson] sent me their red one, but it wasn't just red – it was like a hot red. It was super-bright to the point where the management was like, ‘No… you can't…’ [laughs] It was so loud that it got cut.”
Thankfully, the Snow White, Floyd Rose-equipped version made the grade, and takes pride of place during Powell’s extended, face-melting solo spot in bad idea right?, which you can watch above.
Guitar World’s full interview with Arianna Powell will be published in the coming weeks.
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