Why Olivia Rodrigo and Robert Smith’s “What’s Wrong With Me” Has Captured Fans’ Hearts

Olivia Rodrigo surprised fans at Primavera Sound in Barcelona with a guest appearance by Robert Smith of The Cure, performing their collaboration “What’s Wrong With Me?” during her weekend set. The duet marked a rare and striking cross-generational pairing between one of pop’s biggest young stars and one of alternative rock’s most influential figures. Smith, who inspired much of Rodrigo’s new music, joined her onstage and appeared visibly delighted, turning the performance into an emotional moment of mutual admiration.

The song itself leaned heavily into Cure-like melancholy, with lyrics about anxiety, isolation, and physical heaviness that echoed the emotional style Smith helped define. Rodrigo has made her affection for The Cure a central part of the rollout for her upcoming album, and at Primavera she referenced that influence directly through both her setlist and stage remarks. Before Smith appeared, she teased the collaboration as her first and described her pride and overwhelm at having recorded it with him.

The performance followed a similar surprise moment nearly a year earlier at Glastonbury, when Smith joined Rodrigo onstage for a mini-Cure set that included “Just Like Heaven” and “Friday I’m in Love.” That earlier appearance helped cement the unlikely but warmly received artistic bond between the two musicians. Rodrigo has long been a devoted fan of The Cure, and Smith has been praised for embracing younger artists while rarely making such public collaborations.

At Primavera, The Cure were already part of the festival lineup and had headlined the previous night, making Smith’s return to the stage with Rodrigo even more unexpected. His presence underscored both the respect he has for her songwriting and the obvious ways her music draws from his emotional and melodic vocabulary. Rodrigo’s recent songs, including “Drop Dead” and “The Cure,” have made those influences increasingly explicit.

Smith’s collaboration with Rodrigo is notable because public duets of this kind are unusual for him. Over the years, he has only occasionally appeared with other artists, which makes this performance especially significant to longtime fans. Still, the duet felt less like a novelty and more like a passing of the torch: a veteran songwriter acknowledging a younger artist who has absorbed his influence and transformed it into something distinctly her own.

For fans of both artists, the moment carried a mix of nostalgia, humor, and genuine warmth. Rodrigo got to sing with one of her musical heroes, while Smith got to revisit the mood and spirit of the songs that made The Cure so beloved. The result was a memorable festival highlight that blended teenage fandom, goth melancholy, and pop spectacle into one very unexpected collaboration.