Olivia Rodrigo has officially released “serena joy,” an outtake from her 2026 album You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, across streaming platforms. The new song arrives with a clear purpose beyond the music: all proceeds will benefit the Daisy Chain Fields Fund ahead of Rodrigo’s inaugural all-women music festival.
Produced by longtime collaborator Dan Nigro, “serena joy” takes its title and inspiration from Serena Joy Waterford, the controversial character from Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. Olivia Rodrigo uses the song to explore complicity, political complacency and the danger of accepting the erosion of rights without resistance.
The track had been circulating among fans since June 12, when co-producer Jim-E Stack shared behind-the-scenes material from the making of You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love. A prototype tracklist revealed “Serena Joy” as the album’s 12th song, positioned immediately after “expectations,” sparking speculation about why it ultimately did not appear on the finished record.
Rodrigo later explained during a June 26 interview with eTalk that she “really” loved the song but decided to leave it off because it did not fit the album’s chronological storyline. Her third studio album follows a relationship from its beginning through its eventual collapse, making the politically charged track difficult to place within the record’s emotional sequence.
Now, “serena joy” has found a different purpose. The song’s lyrics move away from the personal relationship narrative of the album, instead confronting the consequences of staying silent when other people’s rights are threatened. Among its most pointed lines are: “Yeah, it’s all for the cause / For the good of us all / And if you close your eyes / Then it can’t be your fault.”
That message becomes even more direct in the song’s recurring warning: “If they do it to them / They’ll do it to you / If they do it to them / They’re gonna do it to you.” Rather than presenting the song as a conventional pop outtake, Olivia Rodrigo turns it into a standalone statement with a purpose closely connected to her activism.
The release also arrives just days before Daisy Chain Fields, which Rodrigo will host on August 29 at Great Park in Irvine, California. Inspired by Lilith Fair, the inaugural festival features an all-women or women-fronted lineup including Chappell Roan, Doechii, Mitski, Bikini Kill, Garbage, the Breeders and KATSEYE, with Stevie Nicks, Sarah McLachlan and Karen O among the special guests.
All participating artists are performing for free, while 100% of net proceeds from the festival will support organizations focused on women’s and girls’ rights, reproductive health and economic freedom.
The song’s release follows a limited physical edition that arrived August 21, with only 500 CD copies made available at Analog Record Shop in Orange County.
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