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Olivia Rodrigo Announces “The Cure” Single, Hails Robert Smith

5/20/2026

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Summary

Rodrigo Announces Single

Olivia Rodrigo announced that her new single “The Cure” will be released on Friday.
She invited The Cure frontman Robert Smith onstage at Glastonbury Festival last summer, performing “Friday I’m In Love” and “Just Like Heaven.”
Rodrigo called Smith “perhaps the best songwriter to come out of England.”
Smith said he had become a genuine fan of Rodrigo’s work.

Summary

Rodrigo Announces Album

Rodrigo announced the album “the cure” on Instagram, receiving over 1.4 million likes and 14 000 comments within three hours.
He erased his entire Instagram feed beforehand as a hype-building tactic for the release.
The teaser image features a bubblegum-pink button-up and a red string shaped into “the cure” with cat’s-cradle.
The album, announced April 2, follows the April 17 single “drop dead” and will drop on June 12, 24 days later.

Summary

Rodrigo Hits #1

Drop Dead debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 17, Rodrigo’s first 2026 chart-topper.
The Cure can be pre-saved and pre-ordered as 7-inch vinyl or cassette with exclusive B-side demo Never Do.
On early May SNL, Rodrigo performed Drop Dead and premiered unreleased track Begged.
The Cure releases on World Goth Day, May 22, a thematic nod highlighted by Rodrigo.

History

Historical Context

In 1992 the Cure’s single “Friday I’m in Love” topped the Billboard Modern Rock chart and hit number six in the UK, cementing the band’s mainstream breakthrough. By 2026, frontman Robert Smith joined Olivia Rodrigo onstage at Glastonbury, linking the song’s early-90s pop-rock success to a new generation and reviving the band’s legacy.

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Rodrigo Announces Single

Olivia Rodrigo announced that her new single “The Cure” will be released on Friday.
She invited The Cure frontman Robert Smith onstage at Glastonbury Festival last summer, performing “Friday I’m In Love” and “Just Like Heaven.”
Rodrigo called Smith “perhaps the best songwriter to come out of England.”
Smith said he had become a genuine fan of Rodrigo’s work.

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