A vocal that’s slightly out of tune is part of what Billy Corgan admires in Olivia Rodrigo’s music. On the October 22 episode of Popcast, the Smashing Pumpkins frontman praised her willingness to take that risk: “She’s not afraid to make an imperfect song. She’s not afraid to have one vocal slightly out of tune.”
Corgan called Rodrigo “so smart” and “super savvy,” crediting her openness to different influences. “She’s broken free and she’s being rewarded because pop stars should be as authentic in their game as rock stars are authentic in their game,” he said.
His praise came during a broader discussion about pop artists drawing on alternative music. “There’s something happening in pop now that I couldn’t have anticipated,” Corgan said, describing younger artists “reaching for us” and clarifying that he meant “the collective alt voice.”
Hosts Jon Caramanica and Joe Coscarelli pointed to specific similarities: Rodrigo’s “the cure” and the Pumpkins’ “Disarm,” along with her “pretty isn’t pretty” and their “1979.” Those comparisons came from the hosts; Corgan’s answer focused on the freedom he hears in her work.
Rodrigo has named the band among her formative influences. “I grew up listening to the Smashing Pumpkins and Hole and the White Stripes,” she told David Remnick in 2023, discussing how her parents’ alternative records shaped the music she wanted to make.
On July 31, 2026, she joined the Smashing Pumpkins during their Lollapalooza headline set at Chicago’s Grant Park to sing “Thirty-Three.”