Olivia Rodrigo Pens Letter to Idol Robert Smith After Announcing ‘Secret’ Collab: ‘Somebody Pinch Me’
"Robert has been soundtracking my life for as long as I can remember," she wrote of The Cure frontman.
There’s no cure for the shock Olivia Rodrigo is experiencing over teaming up with one of her idols, Robert Smith, about whom she penned a heartfelt letter days ahead of their duet “What’s Wrong With Me” arriving alongside the pop star’s new album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love.
In a handwritten letter sent to fans on her email subscription service Monday (June 8), Rodrigo reflected on debuting the unreleased collaboration at Primavera Sound in Barcelona the night prior. “I’ve been insanely excited to tell you guys about this song & it’s been so hard to keep it a secret!” she gushed. “It’s the first feature I’ve ever done on an album and I actually cannot believe I got to do it with Robert Smith!”
“Somebody pinch me!!!” the Gen Z star continued of The Cure frontman. “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. I’ve also been lucky enough to spend time with him over the last year & experience first hand his generosity & graciousness.”
She added, “I am in disbelief that this song exists and I cannot wait for it to come out officially!”
You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love will finally drop on Friday (June 12). So far, Smith’s influence has been laced into both of the tracks Rodrigo has released from the project so far; on Billboard Hot 100-topping lead single “Drop Dead,” she references The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven,” and the album’s second single is simply titled “The Cure.”
Now, “What’s Wrong With Me” will complete the trifecta of Cure-related songs on Rodrigo’s third studio album, as previewed for the thousands of fans who showed up to her surprise set at Primavera Sound on Sunday (June 7). Smith joined her on stage to give the tender ballad a proper live debut, the pair singing lyrics such as, “My head is spinning and my stomach is sick/ Say I’m in love, so it’s hard to admit/ I can’t eat, I can’t sleep/ I think you’re what’s wrong with me.”
Previously, Rodrigo and Smith performed together at her Glastonbury set last July.
