Olivia Rodrigo’s Sony Headphones Are Built for Gen Z

Many brands simply add a celebrity’s branding when working with artists.

But Olivia Rodrigio has partnered twice with Sony to make custom headphones. After developing a pair of earphones called LinkBud S last year, Rodrigo and Sony launched two new earphones in October that retail for $200: LinkBuds Fit and LinkBuds Open.

Jordy Freed, director, head of brand, business development, partner marketing, and strategy at Sony, said that the headphones specifically target Gen Z based on price point, size, and functionality. Freed said that the partnership is about more than Rodrigo being a phenomenon amongst Gen Z—she’s also a creator.

“We work with creators that have strong creative vision, and we knew that she had a new album coming and a tour, and we wanted to dig in over the course of several years to chart how her vision would align with what we’re doing,” said Freed. “We also found out quickly thereafter that she’s a big user and supporter of some of our professional audio gear, and so it’s just the perfect fit.”

The initial meeting with Rodrigo took place in February 2023. Sony had products for Rodrigo to test and over several months, she refined the packaging, color, and other physical properties.

“She could easily have just said, ‘Okay,’ or we could easily have said, ‘Okay, we’re just going to do the cosmetic, the color, the packaging,’ … but there’s a lot more that our product can offer fans that bring more meaning,” said Freed.

When the LinkBuds S was released in September 2023, fans engaged with the custom EQ feature, a sound-setting feature that Rodrigro and her producer Dan Nigro came up with for listeners to best hear her albums Sour and Guts. “You could certainly use headphones to listen to it, but if you can bring that music as part of the product experience itself, well, that just transforms in different ways,” says Freed.

To promote the launch of the LinkBuds Fit and LinkBuds Open in October, Sony ran a four-week campaign that appeared on 636 buses, 260 two-sheet posters, 570 branded trains, and two large wallscapes. The campaign resulted in more than 160 million impressions, according to the company. On social media, the campaign reached more than 36 million impressions across TikTok, Instagram, X, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

ADWEEK spoke with Rodrigo about her partnership with Sony and how she added her creative flare to the products.

This conversation has been edited for clarity and brevity.

ADWEEK: How did your partnership with Sony come about?

Olivia Rodrigo: I originally teamed up with Sony last year when we collaborated on the release of LinkBuds S x Olivia Rodrigo. These custom earbuds are super cool, and I worked with the team to design and tune the product.

We joined forces again this year to release my versions of two more Sony products—LinkBuds Open and LinkBuds Fit—in my favorite color violet. And for the launch of LinkBuds Fit, we shot an awesome campaign ad at the MTA Transit Museum in New York.

Working with Sony has been great because they put my creative vision at the forefront. I love New York City, and it was my idea to shoot the campaign here. It was also exciting to have my LinkBuds Fit campaign photo on one of the last-ever physical MetroCards—such an iconic staple of the city!

What was the inspiration behind the design?

It’s no secret that violet is my favorite color. It just feels very me, so when it came to choosing the colorway I knew we had to go with something in the purple family. My LinkBuds S featured a unique violet marble pattern and Fit & Open are in a darker violet colorway. There are a few different options to choose from.

On the design front, I wanted to make sure that my LinkBuds were created sustainably from reclaimed and recycled plastic materials. I also wanted my fans to be able to hear Guts and Sour in the best possible audio quality with the LinkBuds, so Dan [Nigro] and I sat down to custom-tune all the songs on my two albums.

Why was sustainability a key focus for you?

Sustainability and helping the planet are important to me. LinkBuds S x Olivia Rodrigo has an eco-conscious design using factory-recovered plastic, reclaimed water bottles, and recycled plastic materials from automobile parts. Fit and Open were created from recycled plastic as well.

How did you work with your producer Daniel Nigro on these headphones?

Dan and I thought about how to make the fan listening experience with my LinkBuds as special as possible. We worked directly with Sony and played with the different audio levels, tuning them to make each song sound the absolute best—the treble, bass, etc. I’m happy that my fans can hear my music in this innovative new way.

You traveled to Sony’s Tokyo headquarters. What was that experience like?

It was incredible! Tokyo is one of the coolest places I’ve been able to visit. The team at Sony was so kind and showed me all the different earbud designs and color options. I got to try out all the products and make my creative decisions from there. I worked in collaboration with Sony throughout this entire two-year process to develop my custom versions of the LinkBuds. I’m grateful they trusted my vision and kept it at the forefront.

This partnership has lasted two years. How has it evolved and what excites you most about its future?

It’s been amazing partnering with Sony these past two years. LinkBuds S was released right after Guts came out, and we’re still collaborating over a year later.

Something I’m super excited about that’s coming up soon is an immersive experience in New York City that Sony has curated to celebrate and bring to life the LinkBuds partnership. It perfectly connects back to the campaign creative in a cool way. I don’t want to say too much, but I think my fans will love it.

The fact that we’ve been able to grow my product suite from one to three earbuds is something I’m proud of. I love that future generations of fans can connect to Guts and Sour through the distinct listening experience we’ve created together.