Dancer Who Choreographed Olivia Rodrigo's 'stupid song' Music Video Says Singer's ‘Kindness' Matches Her 'Talent' (Exclusive)

Meredith WilshereSun, June 14, 2026 at 6:59 PM UTC

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Tiler Peck from the NYC Ballet working with Olivia Rodrigo for her new music videoCredit: Courtesy Olivia Rodrigo -

Tiler Peck choreographed and starred in Olivia Rodrigo's "stupid song" music video, making sure it authentically showcased professional ballet dancers

Peck praised Rodrigo's kindness, sharing how the singer sent flowers to every dancer

The project felt full-circle for Peck, blending her ballet expertise with her love for pop music and lyrical dance

New York City Ballet principal dancer Tiler Peck was hired to choreograph and star in Olivia Rodrigo's"stupid song" music video, off her new album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, and tells PEOPLE the experience was everything she hoped it would be and more.

On working with the singer, Peck says, "I was so excited when I first got the call, just at the thought of working with her. I love her music, and when I had my first initial calls with the director, Mitch Ryan, I felt like, 'Oh my God, finally we have an opportunity to really make ballet something very realistic and accurate.' "

The 37-year-old notes that she has to "give serious props to Olivia's team" for "reaching out to a real-life ballerina" to choreograph to the "beautiful ballad."

Working with the Grammy-winning singer, Peck tells PEOPLE, was a dream.

"It's so nice to meet somebody whose kindness matches their talent. She was so wonderful to all of us," the professional dancer says. "She even sent all of us flowers that night because we shot this from like 6 until 11 in the morning, and we all had a performance that night at the ballet."

Tiler Peck from the NYC Ballet working with Olivia Rodrigo for her new music video.Credit: Courtesy Olivia Rodrigo

"She sent every single dancer a little individual bouquet after the shoot to be there in time for our show that night," Peck adds. "When I got my flowers, I told the girls that she had sent us all flowers, but I thought she had just sent them to me. No, she sent a bouquet to every single girl in the video. I was like, 'That is amazing.' "

Not only did Rodrigo impress Peck after the fact, but the "Driver's License" singer was also "super wonderful" to work with during the shoot, treating "everybody with such warmth and generosity."

The pop star was also dedicated to giving the video her all.

"There's one part where we have to push on her. We were all like, 'Let us know if we're doing it hard.' She goes, 'No, really do it. Do it. Like I want it to look real,'" Peck recalls. "She was super down to earth, and we spent the whole day with her, and I couldn't say nicer things about her, really."

Choreographing the music video was a fitting project for Peck, as she says pop music is one of the things that made her fall in love with dance.

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"I did not grow up a ballerina. I grew up doing ballet, but the songs I mostly loved and that got me dancing, were my lyrical and jazz solos at my studio and competitions," she explains. "And so for me to get to do the style that I do now, like ballet, but be able to dance to something that is more in the pop culture and has lyrics, I love the lyrics because I feel like you can really feel even more in the music as opposed to when it's just classical music."

"It was like a homecoming and a way of getting to do this because it was like I could bridge together like my favorite worlds in one," Peck adds.

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However, this wasn't her first time on the set of a music video. She also shares that when she was 8 years old, she was featured in a Fiona Apple music video.

"I never thought I'd be choreographing one, and so now it's like a full-circle moment for me to go back to and feel like I'm getting to go back to my roots, but also help get the ballet seen in a way that is true and accurate," Peck shares.

Being on set, she reiterates, was a wonderful experience, and she says, "I've never actually been on a set where I enjoyed the director and the entire crew was so wonderful."

Olivia RodrigoCredit: Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty

"Every single person on this was literally from top to bottom the nicest person, all wonderful. I feel like they really respected all of us there," she says. "So they leaned on us like they really wanted it to be like, 'Okay, like tell me what you think or this or that.' "

She says that Ryan gave her "freedom" to create, which "he didn't have to."

"Here I am, choreographing my first music video; he could've been super nervous about it. He gave me confidence and freedom at the same time, and on that day, it was just super collaborative," she reflects. "It was just the best experience. I felt so lucky."

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