The Weeknd has released two new songs, ‘World Class Sinner/I’m A Freak’ and ‘The Lure’ – featuring Lily-Rose Depp. Check them out below.
Both tracks are taken from his highly-anticipated new series The Idol, which aired on HBO last Sunday (June 4) with the opening episode Pop Tarts & Rat Tails.
For those who have already watched the first instalment of the series, the first of the new singles, ‘World Class Sinner/I’m A Freak’, will already be familiar. Co-written by the Weeknd and Asa Taccone, the highly-sexualised pop anthem features vocals from Lily-Rose Depp, and appeared prominently throughout the debut as the comeback single by pop star protagonist Jocelyn (Depp).
The second single ‘The Lure’, however, is slower and more eerie than its counterpart, and also serves as the theme for the six-episode series. It was written by Mike Dean and The Weeknd — with the latter also contributing swirling, ethereal vocals to the track. Check out both new songs below.
The Weeknd — who helped produce the series, which also stars as leading man Tedros — teased the new music on social media earlier this week, and announced that he would be releasing them earlier than planned because he was “too hyped”.
“I was planning on dropping the whole soundtrack for idol by the finale, but I’m too hyped,” he wrote in the Instagram post. “Instead, I wanna drop new music from the show every week with each episode.”
He continued: “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…this week… Jocelyn’s pop song ‘World Class Sinner’ and ‘The Lure’ (theme score)… episode 2 this Sunday.”
‘World Class Sinner’ and ‘The Lure’ are the third and fourth songs to be released from the series.
The first single taken from the HBO drama was titled ‘Double Fantasy’, and sees The Weeknd (now going by his birth name Abel Tesfaye) team up with Future. Like ‘The Lure’, the collaborative single featured production from the Weeknd and Mike Dean, and came accompanied by a music video that featured clips from the show.
More recently, the singer-songwriter and actor released the single ‘Popular’, which saw him join forces with Playboy Carti and queen of pop, Madonna. Featuring production from Tesfaye, Mike Dean, and Metro Boomin, it was also revealed that all of the songs from the series will appear on the soundtrack album, ‘The Idol, Vol. 1’, which lands June 30.
The Idol is made by Euphoria-creator Sam Levinson and follows the plot of a world-famous pop star (Depp), who develops a controversial relationship with self-help guru and cult leader, Tedros (Tesfaye).
Back in May, it was reported that the idea for the series came from The Weeknd, who pitched the plot to Levinson by suggesting that he could “start a cult” if he wanted to.
“Abel came to us with a pitch. He said something that I’ll always remember: ‘If I wanted to start a cult, I could,’” Levinson recalled to W Magazine. “What he meant is that his fans were so loyal and devoted that they would follow him anywhere. That was the germ of the idea for The Idol: what happens when a pop star falls for the wrong guy and no one speaks up.”
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