Olivia Rodrigo makes one thing clear performing on the TODAY Plaza: Girlhood takes guts

A mom with pink glitter strands in her hair encourages her daughter to make the most of playing hooky and wave as her idol skips down the stage to “Good 4 U.” TODAY food contributor Siri Daly brought her girls, as did NBC News investigative correspondent Vicky Nguyen. I met two sisters who drove over night from Virginia Beach and were convinced Rodrigo would be announcing her tour today (no luck). Her band is all women. A girl barely tall enough to see over the barricade knows all the words to all four songs (“Vampire,” “Get Him Back!”, “Good 4 U” and “Drivers License”).

There are pigtails, plaid miniskirts and lots of purple. There are tears when the Grammy winner hugs a preteen who never imagined she’d get that close. And Rodrigo is here for it all.

Rodrigo’s sophomore album, “Guts,” was released at midnight on Sept. 8. Just hours later, fans on the TODAY Plaza already knew many of the words.Nathan Congleton / TODAY

Her energy is down-to-earth mixed with humility and a touch of role model as she compliments the youngest audience members’ posters and autographs a sign. When I snap a Polaroid as she gets her makeup touched up and the flash accidentally goes off, I feel myself start to wither with embarrassment, but a quick grin of approval from the woman 12 years my junior picks me back up.

Rodrigo is as effortlessly cool in real life as you’d expect, but not in a way that requires putting others down — that’s what “cool” meant when I was a teen. She hones in on fans too shy to get her attention on their own. She holds eye contact and reserves no judgement if you don’t know all the words, though most of the audience does. She seems entranced by every interaction on the Plaza, from hugging TODAY co-anchors Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb after her first song to jamming out, eyes closed, with her guitarist.

Kara Birnbaum / TODAY

I watch as she leaves the stage and starts to walk back toward her dressing room, and a pang of sadness hits me, knowing I’ll likely never see her that close again. As a fellow half-Filipina, I’ve felt invested in her success; there were none on TV or the radio when I was growing up. But I realize my degree of emotion is only a fraction of what the girls around me feel, their tear-soaked eyes craning for one last glimpse.

Girlhood is hard. Thankfully, for those going through it today, it’s a little easier with Rodrigo’s music.