Pop Meets Post-Punk: Olivia Rodrigo and Robert Smith's Unlikely Duet Ignites Mutual Admiration
A surprise performance at Primavera Sound saw pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo join forces with The Cure's Robert Smith for a new collaboration. The debut of 'what's wrong with me' has since sparked a heartwarming exchange of mutual praise, highlighting...
Over the weekend, pop phenomenon Olivia Rodrigo delivered a surprise set at Primavera and was joined by none other than Robert Smith of The Cure to debut their highly anticipated collaboration, 'what's wrong with me.' This unexpected pairing, featured on Rodrigo's new album, has since sparked a delightful exchange of mutual admiration between the two artists.
In a recent interview, Smith effused about Rodrigo, stating, "She's so good. I mean, she is genuinely fantastic as a songwriter and as a singer, as a performer. And the band, everything about it, I genuinely love what she does." He expressed a particular awe at her apparent ease, noting, "I'm slightly in awe of how easy she finds it all. It's not really comparable to how I do things [...] It just comes across as very effortless, very natural. And I'm not really a natural performer."
Smith further elaborated on their contrasting creative processes: "When I write songs, I'm writing them for a very specific reason. When I'm writing them, I agonize over them, to be honest, a lot of the time in later life. And she's kind of like just banging it out and saying, 'What do you think of this?' And I'm like 'It's great!' And then, 'You know, I'm not really sure about this one.' It took me 16 years to get to that sound!"
Meanwhile, Rodrigo shared a heartfelt, handwritten note via her newsletter, giving fans an intimate glimpse into her excitement:
> I've been insanely excited to tell you guys about this song & its been so hard to keep it a secret! Last night at Primavera I got to sing "Whats Wrong With Me" for the first time. Its the first feature Ive ever done on an album and I actually cannot believe I got to do it with Robert Smith! Somebody pinch me!!! Robert has been soundtracking my life for as long as I can remember. He has written some of my favorite songs of all time. His music moves me & inspires me to a degree that is hard to put into words. Ive also been lucky enough to spend time with him over the last year & experience first hand his generosity & graciousness. I am in disbelief that this song exists and I cannot wait for it to come out officially! The album comes out on Friday what the hell!!!!
She also reflected on their previous collaboration at Glastonbury last year, reminiscing:
> Robert is an extraordinary, extraordinary person. And I obviously wrote to him a bunch before Glastonbury. I was so shocked that he said yes. He's everything to me. I was just so nervous to even make the ask. But I was so delighted when he said that he wanted to and that night at Glastonbury was like the best night of my life. It was so special. There was just something in the air.
Rodrigo explained that the collaboration organically came about after Smith invited her to his studio, where they spent time together and, charmingly, drank Guinness. A dream scenario for any fan, truly.
Related Articles
Listen to Olivia Rodrigo on Foxsoundi. Click here to listen!
Comments (0)
Login to comment