Meet Rhiannon Rodriguez, the 19-year-old singer-songwriter who’s about to take over your playlists with her fresh, dreamy, and totally addictive sound. If Billie Eilish, Clairo, and a sprinkle of shoegaze magic had a lovechild, it would be Rhiannon. And trust us, you’re going to be obsessed.
Music has always been part of Rhiannon’s DNA. Growing up in a wildly creative household (her dad is legendary filmmaker Robert Rodriguez), she was surrounded by art, film, and music 24/7. But while she dabbled in digital art and even composed for film soundtracks (casual, right?!), her true magic surfaced when she started writing her own songs. “I’d write melodies on piano, but lyrics didn’t come until later,” Rhiannon shares with Celeb Secrets in an exclusive interview. “When I finally started writing full songs, I realized how much I loved telling stories through music.”
Her love for music started early, but she recalls a childhood memory that may have been her true lightbulb moment. “I remember being in the pool with my dad and brothers. We were sitting on the steps, and I was humming a Steven Universe song. I looked at him and said, ‘I wanna sing one day.’ So maybe that was the moment.”
Her debut single “Pink Lemonade” is a total vibe. Breezy, warm, and bursting with nostalgia, the track is basically the sonic equivalent of golden-hour hangs with your ride-or-die besties. “It’s about those friends who just get you,” Rhiannon explains. “The ones you stay up laughing with until your cheeks hurt. I hope everyone finds their own ‘pink lemonade.’” And just like the song, Rhiannon is full of heart—she even admits, “I’m a big crier. I feel things so deeply, I’ve literally cried just because I love my friends so much.” A relatable queen.
And that’s just the beginning. Her upcoming EP, Bittersweet, takes listeners on an emotional rollercoaster, weaving together the highs and lows of love, loss, and self-discovery. But here’s the twist—it’s all told through color. Each track is tied to a specific shade, starting with bright, marshmallow-pink hues and shifting into deep blues and fiery reds before circling back to a golden glow of acceptance.
“It takes them through the love and loss of a relationship. All tied together by the color yellow, which in flower language, a yellow rose means friendship,” she explains. “Pink Lemonade is pinks and greens and yellows—like a sweet marshmallow rope. The second song is dark reds, blacks, and yellows—anger and denial, the beginning of loss.”
“The third song? Blues, dark purples, and a glimmer of yellow—the depression and bargaining. If you could’ve done something different, maybe it wouldn’t have ended the way it did. The fourth song is orange, still a little blue, but more of a sunset blue than a midnight blue—the acceptance song. You’re still grieving, but it’s lessened,” she continues.
“And the final track? Back to the pinks and yellows—a bonus track that shows that while a relationship may end, the love you carry from it continues on in other ways.”
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Rhiannon isn’t just serving vocals—she’s giving full aesthetic. She designed her own cover art, seamlessly blending her visual artistry with her sonic storytelling. “I see music and visuals as one,” she explains. “They have to work together to bring the story to life.” Her love for DIY creativity? A total family trait. “My dad always told me, ‘Don’t be afraid to fail. That’s where you find your greatest successes.’”
Beyond her ethereal sound and deep storytelling, Rhiannon is hilarious. Case in point: the giggle at the end of Pink Lemonade? It took forever to nail because she couldn’t stop laughing. “I tried so many times, and it just sounded weird! Then the playback glitched, and I laughed so hard that we kept it in the track.” And let’s not forget her Texan roots—she accidentally recorded a country twang into one of her songs and had to redo the line multiple times. “So sorry,” she jokes. “It will happen again.”
When she’s not writing songs, Rhiannon is always thinking about her next creative venture. “Not exactly a storytelling medium, but I love hands-on crafts. I’ve been wanting to get into pottery and woodcarving! I’ve taken a pottery class and had an absolute blast. I’d love to do more of that. And I want to make a wooden bowl and spoon together soon.”
With Bittersweet on the way, Rhiannon is just getting started. But she’s already got her future mapped out. “In five years, I want to be doing everything I love: music, movies, art. All of it. And with a good work-life balance. That’s my ‘I made it’ moment.”
Until then, we’ll have Pink Lemonade on repeat. Listen to the song below, and prepare to step into Rhiannon Rodriguez’s dreamy universe.
You can connect with Rhiannon by giving her a follow on Instagram at @rheerodriguez.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
