The Cure's Robert Smith Achieves First Solo Hot 100 Hit, Thanks to Olivia Rodrigo

Robert Smith, the iconic frontman of The Cure, has made his debut on the Billboard Hot 100 as a solo artist, marking a significant milestone in his decades-long career. This achievement comes through his guest appearance on Olivia Rodrigo’s track, “What’s Wrong With Me.” The song, which debuted at No. 17 on the Hot 100 chart dated June 27, garnered an impressive 15.5 million official U.S. streams in its opening week, according to Luminate.

“What’s Wrong With Me” was released on June 12 as part of Rodrigo’s third studio album, “You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love.” The album itself has achieved considerable success, opening at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 485,000 equivalent album units. This makes it the second-largest week of 2026, surpassed only by the opening week of BTS’ ARIRANG.

While Smith’s career with The Cure, formed in 1976, has seen extensive chart presence since their first Billboard survey appearance in July 1980, this marks his inaugural entry on the Hot 100 specifically billed as a solo artist. The Cure itself charted 14 songs on the Hot 100 between 1986 and 1996. Their most successful single on this chart was “Love Song,” which peaked at No. 2 in 1989. Other notable Hot 100 entries for The Cure include “Friday I’m in Love” (No. 18, 1992), “Just Like Heaven” (No. 40, 1988), and “High” (No. 42, 1992).

The group, inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2019, has also enjoyed substantial success on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart, with 17 songs making an appearance. Four of these tracks reached the No. 1 spot: “Fascination Street,” “Never Enough,” “High,” and “Friday I’m in Love.” The Cure recently returned to the Alternative Airplay chart in 2024 with “A Fragile Thing,” which reached No. 14, marking their first entry on that ranking in 16 years.

Olivia Rodrigo has frequently expressed her admiration for The Cure, citing them among her favorite artists. Speculation about a potential collaboration heightened after the pair shared the stage during Rodrigo’s headlining set at Glastonbury last year. Ahead of her new album’s release, Rodrigo shared her excitement about the collaboration in a handwritten letter to her fan email newsletter. She wrote, “I’ve been insanely excited to tell you guys about this song & it’s been so hard to keep it a secret! 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!” Rodrigo further added, “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.”

While this is Smith’s first Hot 100 entry as a solo artist, he has previously appeared on other Billboard charts outside of his work with The Cure. In 2004, Junior Jack’s “Da Hype,” featuring Smith, spent a week at No. 1 on the Dance Club Songs chart. Later, in 2011, Crystal Castles’ “Not in Love,” also featuring Smith, reached No. 24 on the Alternative Airplay chart.