Weeknd Tunes
“World Class Sinner/I’m a Freak” and theme song “The Lure” are the first releases from the series’ soundtrack
Ahead of the second episode of HBO’s The Idol, two new songs from the show have been released. The divisive new show from Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson tells a twisted tale about a pop star, played by Lily-Rose Depp.
First up are “World Class Sinner/I’m a Freak” as performed by the fictional singer at the heart of the show Jocelyn (played and sung by Depp) and “The Lure (Theme Score).” Both were featured in the series premiere, which followed Jocelyn and her team preparing for a major comeback after a nervous breakdown.
On Wednesday, the Weeknd announced the incoming songs, which are part of a larger original soundtrack for the show he had previously planned to drop when the season wrapped. “I’m too hyped,” he wrote on Instagram. “Instead, I wanna drop new music from the show every week with each episode. I’m excited for you guys to hear what we’ve been cooking and all these incredible artists that are a part of this show.”
The Idol has been at the center of controversies for a while now, having been pushed back repeatedly and later facing allegations of a horrible on-set atmosphere, as reported by Rolling Stone. After finally premiering at Cannes, the project faced mixed or negative reactions to the show’s empty sleaze. Rolling Stone’s David Fear described the first two episodes that were screened at the festival as feeling “nasty, brutish, much longer than it is, and way, way worse than you’d have anticipated.”