Olivia Rodrigo used her surprise slot at Primavera Sound this weekend to showcase something very special alongside The Cure’s Robert Smith before his headline set.
She revealed that the two of them have collaborated on a new track, set to appear on her upcoming album ‘you seem pretty sad for a girl that’s so in love’. Titled ‘what’s wrong with me’, she introduced the song by saying, “it’s really special to me for so many reasons, primarily because it’s my first collaboration. I can’t believe this song exists and with the person that it exists with.”
Sonically, it is a soft and tear-stained synth-laden ballad, one that allows the heartwrenching words that accompany it to take the forefront. Stories of not being able to get out of bed but unable to eat or sleep but being told by others that there’s nothing actually wrong, it’s a raw and very real look at what it means to have the weight of the world on your shoulders.
It’s the perfect sentiment for Robert Smith to deliver alongside Olivia, as an artist who has delivered the most perfectly tender form of melancholy for the last 50 years. Hearing the two premiere what is clearly a very intimate and personal piece of music is emotional to say the least, and even at this early stage feels like it will be a pivotal cornerstone in this new era of Olivia’s sensational story.
You can check out fan footage of the performance below:
‘you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love’ is set for release on release later this week on June 12 via Geffen Records.
Here is previous single ‘the cure’, which feels rather apt:
