Olivia Rodrigo has never credited another artist in her songs. album SOUR , not on GUTS , on any of the singles released between them.
Everything changed with a surprise performance at the Primavera Sound festival. That weekend, Rodrigo premiered "What's Wrong With Me," her first collaboration, and invited her personal idol and co-writer on stage to perform it live with her.
How Olivia Rodrigo presented her new song
Reports of Rodrigo's duet with The Cure's Robert Smith surfaced just hours after Rodrigo unexpectedly announced her appearance at the Barcelona festival, posting on Instagram Stories with the caption "Surprise!!!" and a thumbs-up photo from the festival grounds. She remained silent about Smith's participation until he took the stage. Before performing the song, Rodrigo told the crowd, "This is a really special song for me for many reasons, primarily because it's the first song I've ever been featured on.".
When Smith appeared, the crowd's reaction was immediate. "I can't believe this song exists and with the person it exists with. I'm just so damn happy," Rodrigo said. At the end of her performance, hugging Smith, she told the crowd, "I think I'm going to cry. I can't believe this happened in the real world and not just a figment of my imagination.".
Music industry insiders at the album's private listening session already knew Smith would be appearing on the song, but, as Variety reports, "those in attendance were under orders to keep it a secret until Rodrigo revealed the news herself.".
What is the book "What's Wrong with Me?" about?«
«What’s Wrong With Me» is a light pop song that, despite its upbeat musical tone, belongs to the «you look pretty blue» part of the album. The lyrics describe a turning point when the narrator realizes that her relationship is not working in her life, despite all her hopes and intentions. The pre-chorus goes, «I feel like I’m not myself, and nothing’s helping,» and then transitions into: «Went to the doctor and she said I’m fine / But every movie I saw makes me cry / Like someone put a weight on my chest / I should talk to a friend, but I can’t get out of bed / I’m feeling dizzy and nauseous / Say I’m in love, so I can’t tell you / I can’t eat, I can’t sleep / I think you’re what’s wrong with me.».
Robert Smith and Olivia Rodrigo: A History
GLASTONBURY, ENGLAND – JUNE 29: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Robert Smith performs with Olivia Rodrigo during day five of the 2025 Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, Pilton, on June 29, 2025, in Glastonbury, England. Founded by Michael Eavis in 1970, Glastonbury has grown into the UK's largest music festival, attracting more than 200,000 fans who enjoy performances on more than 100 stages. The festival will take a hiatus in 2026, a planned pause to give the Worthy Farm venue time to rest and recover. (Photo by Samir Hussain/WireImage)
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This collaboration grew out of a friendship that had been publicly developing for two years. It all began at the 2025 Glastonbury Festival, where Rodrigo was headlining and invited Smith on stage to perform The Cure's classic hits "Friday I'm in Love" and "Just Like Heaven." Rodrigo introduced him to the crowd as "possibly the greatest songwriter to come out of England" and "my personal hero." Rodrigo subsequently released her entire Glastonbury performance, including Smith's appearance, as a live album titled Live From Glastonbury (A BBC Recording) .
Smith, 66, has been the driving force behind The Cure since its formation in 1976. Their discography includes 13 studio albums, as well as the song "Friday I'm in Love," released in 1992, which has accumulated more than 1 billion streams on Spotify.
In a letter to British Vogue written on the eve of Rodrigo's album release, Smith revealed that he became a true fan of her music after first hearing "Drivers License." "I bought Sour , and then Guts "Both on CD!" he wrote. "While most of the songs on these two albums aren't exactly 'aimed at my target audience,' they're all so good that it's hard not to fall in love with them." He also mentioned their collaboration in the studio, which we now take as a hint. "She calls me quite often to talk about clothes and fashion, and we've had some unforgettable evenings together in the studio.".
Her admiration for Rodrigo Smith is also directly reflected in the new album. On "Drop Dead," the record-breaking title track that debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, she inserts the title of The Cure's "Just Like Heaven" into the first verse. The album also features a track simply titled "The Cure," which has no connection to Smith's band, but certainly doesn't feel out of place on an album that also features Robert Smith.
What does this mean for the album?
Olivia Rodrigo's third studio album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, will be released on Friday, June 12, 2026. The album is structured as a two-part narrative - the first half is titled "for a girl so in love," the second is titled "you look pretty sad," and the song "What's Wrong With Me" is on the second half of the album. Unravelled The album's support tour will begin in North America in September and then continue in Europe in the spring of 2027. All concerts are sold out.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com.