Some musicians just aren’t cut out, or aren’t interested, in having a solo career alongside their massively successful band.
While some have tried, like Mick Jagger and Jarvis Cocker, their best and most popular works are linked with the bands they front. That’s not a slight against their solo discography, but sometimes a frontperson is aware that their best work comes when operating as the front of a group, not on their own. It’s why The Cure‘s Robert Smith swore off writing or releasing solo releases, and has stuck with the band as his creative outlet ever since they were founded in 1976.
But Smith’s reason for swearing off a solo career isn’t because he couldn’t handle the extra stresses that come with relying on your name as a brand. It boils down more to how people would see his music outside of The Cure, rather, the similarities he expected people to draw with those would-be solo projects and hits like Boys Don’t Cry.
Speaking with Damien Love back in 1996, Smith confirmed that he didn’t have any interest in a solo career because the perception of him as a solo artist would be identical to how he is viewed when working with The Cure.
He said: “Yeah. We’ve kind of been talking about it through the tour, actually, and whatever we do next, we’ve kind of got the pros and cons of using The Cure. Thing is, if I do it with the others, it’s just gonna be The Cure anyway, and people are just going to say, ‘Well, It’s The Cure.’ The downside of it is, when Wild Mood Swings came out, the critique wasn’t actually of the album, it was a critique of the group, and of me, which I’m never going to be able to escape, basically – it’s my history.
“But in some ways it colours people’s expectations: they see something with The Cure on it, and for some people it kind of repels them, and for others it draws them in. I’ve often thought it would be nice to do something that didn’t have those kinds of connotations, and maybe do something anonymously, just to see what the reaction would be. I mean, if I didn’t open my mouth, no one would know it was us anyway. So as long as we do something I don’t sing on, it could be anyone.”
Smith has performed just once as a solo artist for a benefit at the Royal Albert Hall. He performed The Luvcats and it remains his only solo performance to this day. It’s unlikely Smith will ever perform a show solo, or release any material that doesn’t involve The Cure in some way.
The veteran frontman confirmed the band would be wrapping up their days on the road and in the studio for good in 2029, with Smith opting to retire around the time the band celebrates their 50th anniversary.
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