Olivia Rodrigo Praises St. Vincent for Designing a Guitar that is More Inclusive for Women

Olivia Rodrigo and St. Vincent (Instagram @oliviarodbrb)

JAKARTA - Olivia Rodrigo gave personal praise to St. Vincent - whose real name is Anne Clark - for his dedication to designing inclusive musical instruments.

The 22-year-old singer-songwriter expressed his admiration for St. Vincent's signature Ernie Ball Music Man guitar, which he used throughout his "Guts World Tour".

For Rodrigo, the guitar is not just an ordinary musical instrument, but an innovation that answers the concerns of female musicians.

He highlights how the body design of the guitar takes into account the female body's anatomy - something that is often overlooked in the conventional music instrument manufacturing industry.

"This is a guitar that looks really cool," Rodrigo said, when he was a guest on the podcast Music Makes Us.

Rodrigo's admiration is rooted in the design specifications that Clark consciously created. According to him, Clark understands the physical obstacles that women often face when wearing a guitar on stage, especially related to comfort on the chest and the weight of the guitar which is often too heavy.

"He made a guitar specifically designed for women. Because she plays her guitar very high, the design is cut in such a way that you can have breasts and still play the guitar comfortably, which is really amazing," said the Grammy Award winner.

Historically, there is an irony in the world of guitar making (lutherie). Many argue that the classic guitar shape is actually inspired by the curves of a woman's body, but in practice, the instrument is often not ergonomic for women.

This is in line with Annie Clark's thinking when she first designed her signature model in 2016. He explained, a lightweight guitar is a must because of his not-so-big posture. He admitted that he could not play classic models like the 1960s Stratocaster or the 1970s Les Paul without the help of a chiropractor.

Therefore, Clark designed his guitar by redistributing the weight of the instrument to make it more balanced without losing aesthetics.

Despite focusing on women's comfort, Clark insists that the goal is to create something that looks good for anyone, regardless of their gender.

In addition to Olivia Rodrigo, support for St. Vincent's guitar design also came from Emily Roberts, guitarist for the band The Last Dinner Party, who is about 157 cm tall.

Roberts admitted that St. Vincent's signature guitar was the solution to the back pain he often experienced when using a conventional guitar.

"There aren't many guitars designed by women, so (choosing this guitar) was a very easy decision," Roberts said.

He also praised the sonic quality of the instrument which has a unique and different character from mainstream brands such as Fender or Gibson.