Olivia Rodrigo has revealed an adorable behind-the-scenes moment involving her father and The Cure’s Robert Smith, proving that her love of the iconic band runs in the family.The pop star shared that her dad was left in tears when she introduced him to Smith for the first time. Appearing on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ on Wednesday, Rodrigo told the host about the emotional encounter. “He got to talk to Robert, because we’re kind of friends now,” she said. “And the first time he met him, I’ve never seen, my dad’s very tough, you know? He’s a dad, he’s like a protector. They saw each other, and the tears started welling up in his eyes.” She also revealed that her father’s phone screensaver is now a selfie of himself and Smith together.
Olivia Rodrigo and The Cure’s Robert Smith’s collaboration
The friendship between Rodrigo and Smith has translated into a music collaboration. At the Primavera festival, Rodrigo played a surprise set during which Smith joined her to debut their collaboration ‘What’s Wrong With Me’, an unreleased track that will appear on her upcoming third studio album ‘You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love’, arriving Friday June 12.
“Robert has been soundtracking my life for as long as I can remember,” Rodrigo wrote in a letter to fans following the festival. “He has written some of my favourite songs of all time. His music moves me and inspires me to a degree that is hard to put into words.”The influence of The Cure is also evident throughout her new album’s singles. On Billboard Hot 100-topping lead track ‘Drop Dead’, she references the band’s classic ‘Just Like Heaven’, and the follow-up single is simply titled ‘The Cure’.
How Olivia Rodrigo chose her album singles using family ballots
Rodrigo also shared a charming story about how she decided which tracks to release ahead of the album. Rather than relying solely on her team, she turned to her family at Thanksgiving. “Last Thanksgiving, I was with my family, and they live in Wisconsin. It was all of us, aunts and uncles and cousins,” she told the host.
“I turned the lights off really low, because I was really shy, and I was so nervous to see their faces while they heard the songs for the first time,” she continued. “I played them the whole thing, and then they did ballots, and everyone cast their vote on what they thought the single should be. Everyone liked ‘The Cure’ the most. That was the number one that we got.”‘The Cure’ was also the song Rodrigo performed for the audience following the interview.
Olivia Rodrigo on celebrating her new album
With her third album arriving on June 12, Rodrigo spoke candidly about how she planned to mark the occasion. “‘Sour’, I was 17 when it came out. ‘Guts’, I was 20. Now I’m 23, so I’m going to get really drunk. So I’m really excited about that. Now I’m of age, I can properly do it,” she said with a laugh.
‘You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love’ marks Rodrigo’s third studio album following the critically acclaimed ‘Sour’ in 2021 and ‘Guts’ in 2023 both of which cemented her status as one of the defining pop voices of her generation.
