Olivia Rodrigo (Image by Raph_PH is licensed under CC BY 4.0.) and Llandudno (Image by Jasper180969 is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.)
Nation.Cymru Staff
Olivia Rodrigo’s attempt to pronounce Llandudno has won praise from Welsh listeners, with many claiming that she said it better than the English radio presenter who corrected her.
During an interview with DJ Jordan North for Capital FM, the chart-topping singer shared that one of her most memorable days in Wales took place in Llandudno where she only ate sausage rolls.
In a clip shared to the Capital Official Instagram page this week, Rodrigo recalled the story, missing out the ‘Ll’ sound in Llandudno but correctly pronouncing the rest of the place name.
North, however, attempted to correct her but in turn mispronounced it as ‘Lan-dud-noe’. “I think I’m saying it right,” the interviewer said.
Originally from California, Rodrigo first found fame on the Disney Channel before pivoting to music. Her debut album, Sour, was released in 2021 and topped album charts in both the US and UK.
Radio DJ Jordan North currently presents Capital Breakfast and has previously worked on BBC Radio 1.
The pair came together in The Devonshire pub in London as part of Capital’s ‘Very British Day Out’ series, in which international celebrities try ‘British’ foods and learn slang.
Rodrigo then went on to say: “I had a credit card that didn’t work in any place that was in America. And nobody took it, and I had no food at the hotel, and I was just wandering around Wales, and I couldn’t find anything to eat.
“And then my card worked in a place that served sausage rolls, so I just ate sausage rolls for a whole day.”
“Oh, that’s such a core memory of a sausage roll!” North responded enthusiastically.
“Yeah, and then I think a pub took my card, too, so I had sausage rolls and, like, white wine,” Rodrigo continued. “Kind of cool. Looking back, kind of a great memory.”
“Quite chic,” North agreed.
Though Llandudno is popular with tourists, Welsh fans were shocked to learn Rodrigo had spent time in the small town on the north Wales coast.
“What on earth was she doing in Llandudno,” one wrote, while another asked if she had met ‘The Monkey Man’, a local celebrity who is often spotted in the town with two monkey teddies in a pushchair.
In fact, Rodrigo visited the town in late 2024 with her then-boyfriend, English actor Louis Partridge, who has family ties to north Wales and would holiday in Llandudno as a child.
The couple were spotted exploring local spots together, including the Ormo Lounge, Da Venezia, and the Parc Llandudno Marks & Spencer.
While there, a fan working at the local M&S snapped a selfie with the pop star, which was shared on the store’s Facebook page.
However, much of the conversation in the comments of the Capital Official video centred around who had pronounced Llandudno better, with many concluding that Rodrigo’s attempt was closer to the mark than North’s.
“She was right, first time. And God bless her for it,” a commenter praised, while others were shocked that an American could pronounce a Welsh word better than an English person.
Many Cymraeg speakers offered their assistance, spelling the town phonetically, while Irish musical duo Jedward also lent a hand, writing: “We did a concert in this spot once and you pronounce it ‘Clan did know’”.
The full Capital FM interview with Olivia Rodrigo is available to watch here.
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