Olivia Rodrigo Reveals Robert Smith Duet on Upcoming Album During Primavera Sound Appearance
Olivia Rodrigo has revealed that her upcoming third album will feature a duet with Robert Smith of The Cure, ending weeks of speculation surrounding a closely guarded collaboration that had remained under wraps ahead of the album’s release.
The singer made the announcement during a surprise performance at Primavera Sound in Barcelona on Saturday, where she debuted a new song titled “What’s Wrong With Me” and welcomed Smith to the stage for the track’s first live performance. The collaboration marks the first featured artist to appear on a Rodrigo recording since the beginning of her career.
Introducing the song, Rodrigo told the audience it held special significance for her, noting that it was the first time she had invited another artist to share a song on one of her albums. She initially kept the identity of the collaborator a secret before Smith joined her onstage, prompting one of the festival’s biggest reactions of the weekend.
While the appearance came as a surprise to fans, Smith’s involvement had quietly become known among a limited number of music industry insiders who attended a private listening session for Rodrigo’s forthcoming album in Los Angeles. Attendees were reportedly asked not to discuss the collaboration publicly before Rodrigo announced it herself.
The duet appears on Rodrigo’s third studio album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, which is scheduled for release next week. Although the album’s tracklist had already been unveiled, Smith’s participation was not disclosed, and the song was listed simply as “What’s Wrong With Me.”
The collaboration is a natural extension of Rodrigo’s well-documented admiration for The Cure. The British band has been referenced repeatedly throughout the rollout of the new album. Rodrigo’s recent single “Drop Dead” mentions the group in its lyrics, while another song released during the campaign is titled “The Cure.” Neither track, however, hinted at Smith’s direct involvement elsewhere on the album.
Rodrigo and Smith have shared a stage before. Last summer, Smith joined the singer during her Glastonbury Festival set, where the pair performed The Cure classics “Just Like Heaven” and “Friday I’m in Love.” The performance generated widespread attention and highlighted the mutual respect between the two artists despite the decades separating their careers.
“What’s Wrong With Me” finds Rodrigo exploring the emotional uncertainty at the center of a failing relationship. Despite its bright melodic structure, the song focuses on a narrator gradually realizing that a romance she desperately wants to preserve may be the source of her unhappiness. The lyrics detail attempts to find answers through self-reflection, medical advice, and conversations with others before arriving at the uncomfortable conclusion that the relationship itself may be the problem.
The Primavera Sound appearance was itself largely unexpected. Rodrigo did not appear on the festival’s official schedule and only hinted at her participation through social media a few hours before taking the stage. The surprise set quickly became one of the most talked-about moments of the event.
Smith was already in Barcelona as part of The Cure’s return to live performance. The band headlined Primavera Sound on Friday night, playing its first concert in roughly 18 months. The set leaned heavily on the group’s classic material while featuring only a handful of songs from Songs of a Lost World, the band’s most recent studio album.
The reveal adds another layer of anticipation to Rodrigo’s upcoming album, which arrives nearly three years after Guts and continues her evolution as a songwriter. While the singer has often drawn influence from artists outside contemporary pop, the collaboration with Smith represents her most direct creative partnership with one of her longtime inspirations.
