Olivia Rodrigo is officially in her Robert Smith era. First, she namechecked one of his songs, Just Like Heaven, in her comeback single, Drop Dead, and then its follow-up turned out to be called The Cure (although she later clarified that this has "nothing to do with the band, The Cure")
Now, ahead of the release of her third album, You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love, she’s not only confirmed that it contains a duet with Smith, What's Wrong With Me, but also debuted it during her surprise set at this weekend’s Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona.
Introducing the song, Rodrigo noted that this is the first time she’s had a featured artist on any of her studio albums, and that she’s over the moon to have Smith involved. “I just can’t believe that this song exists with the person that it exists with,” she said.
The star then sang the first verse and chorus of What's Wrong With Me – a sweet but anguished tale of longing, by the sounds of it – before introducing Smith so that he could sing his verse. The pair then harmonised on more choruses and a bridge.
Writing on Instagram after the performance, Rodrigo said: “I am still in disbelief that Robert who is in my eyes one of the most brilliant, legendary, wonderful people to ever exist is on this record with me. I had the most memorable evening singing it with him at primavera tonight and I cannot wait for this song and record to be yours.”
While Smith’s involvement on You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love had not previously been confirmed, it doesn’t exactly come as a surprise. After joining Rodrigo on stage at Glastonbury last year to sing two Cure songs with her, he later said that they’d stayed in touch and “enjoyed a couple of memorable nights in the studio together.”
“I bought Sour, and then Guts (both on CD!),” Smith told British Vogue. “Although most of the songs on those two albums are not really ‘aimed at my demographic’(!), they are all so good that it is hard not to fall in love with them.”
Rodrigo’s Primavera set also gave her the opportunity to give a live audience debut to The Cure, though she did previously record a version of it for BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge.
