For nearly five decades, Robert Smith has been one of alternative rock’s most recognizable voices. He helped turn The Cure into one of the most influential bands of the post-punk era, scoring hits that helped define generations of fans.
Yet despite all of that success, Smith has just achieved a Billboard milestone for the first time.
According to Billboard, Smith appears on the Billboard Hot 100 as a solo artist for the first time thanks to his guest appearance on Olivia Rodrigo’s “What’s Wrong With Me.” The song debuts at No. 17 on the chart dated June 27 after generating 15.5 million official U.S. streams in its opening week.
The achievement arrives as Rodrigo’s third studio album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, opens at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
While this is Smith’s first Hot 100 appearance billed as a solo artist, he is hardly a newcomer to the charts. As the frontman and primary songwriter of The Cure, he helped guide the band to 14 Hot 100 entries between 1986 and 1996. Their biggest hit was 1989’s “Lovesong,” which climbed all the way to No. 2. Other charting favorites included “Friday I’m in Love,” “Just Like Heaven,” “Pictures of You,” and “Why Can’t I Be You?”
Formed in England in 1976, The Cure evolved from post-punk pioneers into one of the defining alternative rock bands of the 1980s and 1990s. Led by Smith’s unmistakable voice and songwriting, the group sold more than 30 million records worldwide and earned induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.
In 2023, Rolling Stone named Smith to its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time, writing, “With the Cure, he’s a master of breathy intimacy and erotic wit, as if he’s confiding secrets by candlelight, even when he’s singing about cats and spiders. He works his mopey voice into a powerfully expressive instrument, whether he’s going for sexy misery (‘Close to Me’), self-mocking misery (‘Let’s Go to Bed’), or miserable misery (‘One Hundred Years’).
The band experienced a major resurgence with 2024’s Songs of a Lost World, their first album of new material in 16 years. The release topped charts in multiple countries and later helped The Cure win their first ever Grammy Awards in 2026.
Rodrigo has long cited The Cure as one of her favorite bands, making the collaboration a meaningful one for both artists. In a message to fans before the album’s release, she called Smith one of her musical heroes and said his songs have been part of her life for as long as she can remember.
For Smith, the new chart entry adds yet another accomplishment to a career that has already included classic albums, arena tours, Hall of Fame recognition and a lasting influence on generations of musicians. Nearly 50 years after helping form The Cure, he’s still finding new ways to make Billboard history.
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