Tag: HBO

Cristobal Tapia de Veer, Composer of the Viral ‘White Lotus’ Theme Song, Reveals His Process and Expectations for Season 3

June 8, 2023

Plenty of TV sitcom theme songs stand the test of time. The singability of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, clap-infused pop of “I’ll Be There For You” from Friends, and nostalgic harmonies of “Where Everybody Knows Your Name” from Cheers each holds a notable slot in the cultural zeitgeist. It’s less common for a drama’s theme song to meet the same reception. And that picture is even more complicated when the theme is a wordless instrumental used—in the first moments of the show—to set the scene for dead bodies washing ashore.  

Yet composer Cristobal Tapia de Veer’s “Aloha!” and “Renaissance,” which serve as the theme songs for first and second seasons of The White Lotus, respectively, have reached such success. Each track features a consistent melody with high-pitched instrumentation, a  danceable beat, and breathless vocals. Each is also tailored to reflect its season’s location—Hawaii in the first and Sicily in the second. 

Each season, The White Lotus offers colorful, suspenseful commentary on exploitation, wealth, class, and race with a backdrop of murder and dysfunction set in a fictional luxury resort. The combination of Cristobal’s masterful composition, the show’s alluring storytelling, and a rabid global fan base has propelled both themes to viral fame and millions of Spotify streams, and raised the profile of their composer. 

Fans on the prowl 

Since its July 2021 release, “Aloha!” has been streamed most by fans in Warsaw, Berlin, and Paris. The song’s popularity only grew in the lead-up to the October 2022 premier of the second season, with fans taking to the internet to share commentary on the song. 

One popular fan theory was that its repeated notes created a musical allusion to the Gregorian chant “Dies Irae,” or “The Day of Wrath.” In a rare interview with For the Record, Cristobal explained that this is but a coincidence. “Those melodies are the result of chanting with voices and finding a melody that works with the sound. For lots of reasons, I ended up with those types of harmonies, but I wasn’t specifically inspired by that music or trying to use it intentionally.” 

Following the debut episode of the second season on October 30, 2022, searches for “White Lotus” on Spotify increased more than 500%. But to the chagrin of fans, “Renaissance” wasn’t released on Spotify until December 11, the end of the season. 

Even so, dedicated fans steadily played “Aloha!” on Spotify while they waited, and on December 12, streams of “Aloha!” jumped 200% compared to the month prior. Searches for “White Lotus” soared to 4,800% compared to two months prior. 

Once released, daily streams of “Renaissance” hit an all-time high on December 13, 2022, with fans in Paris, Oslo, and Berlin leading the charge. And as for Cristobal? The composer saw a 162% lift in his own catalog’s daily streams following season two. 

Even after the season came to an end, fans continued to circulate the song, using it as the musical background to their viral videos. On February 17, 2023, Dutch DJ Tiësto put out his own remix of “Renaissance,” which became a favorite among fans in Sydney, New York, and Oslo in particular.  

Soundtracking suspense

So what went into creating the right soundtrack? Cristobal employed wind instruments to create the whirling bird sounds on “Aloha!” “For the first season, I wasn’t trying to make Hawaiian music. It was more about making something about nature kicking the characters in the ass, and the wild stuff coming for the characters,” Cristobal explained. To hit his mark, he combined bird calls with tribal chants for an island feel with a spooky tropical depth.

Composer Cristobal Tapia de Veer

“The temp score was this loungy, rather soft thing—something that would be playing in a nice luxury cafe when you’re on vacation somewhere,” he recalled. “It was very different from what I came up with. I went with a tribal, rather aggressive screaming, and drums and flutes.” 

That “screaming,” which seems to be the best way to describe the vocal sounds, became a driving force behind the song’s virality when it came time to adapt it for the second season. Cristobal knew he wanted to match the vibe of the location and utilize disconcerting vocal tones.

“The ‘oululus’ are the most important thing,” said Cristobal, using his tongue heavily to propel the sound from his own mouth. “For the second season, I was trying to fit into the Italian and the Sicilian vibe. We spoke about having some renaissance sounds, some harps, mandolin, violin, things that we’d connect with Italian music and opera. I did a demo of some classical Italian music, something operatic, and that’s the beginning of the track. From there, I wanted to somehow bring back the sound of the first season, which is these screaming voices that are so recognizable.” 

He also wanted to evoke a different journey for a new cast of characters. 

“In the first season, there’s a lot of conflict in the music,” he said. “It feels very stressful and more tense than how it should; it has more dissonance. But this was something calculated. And I think the second season is funnier because things become dark later, towards the end of the show. So the song keeps it more playful, more light and harmonious.” 

A trip to Thailand

Cristobal finds the composing process as tumultuous as life is for the White Lotus patrons at times. “I don’t do anything particular to get into the zone,” he notes. “Sometimes people try to have the best conditions—relaxed and with a view—but surprisingly, for me, I like to see the stuff that results from being in a bad situation, a stressful situation, not having the right equipment, or not being in the right place.” 

For Cristobal, discomfort is more impactful, motivating, and conducive to creativity than pleasure or perfection. “When I feel that I’m in danger, it feels like I’m gonna probably come up with something better, a more original idea—as long as I’m surviving a situation—than if I’m too comfortable.” 

With the third season of The White Lotus confirmed for Thailand, we asked Cristobal to hint at some musical elements fans might expect when the show debuts.  

“For Thailand, I want to bring in some Eastern philosophy, something a little bit spiritual,” he said. “I love the Buddhist temples there, and funnily enough I have a collection of Thai gongs. I have 36 Thai gongs to make melodies with, so you can expect to hear some of those. I’d really like to go deep with it, make it take a journey.” 

Prepare for the third season of The White Lotus with The White Lotus Official Playlist on Spotify.

‘Euphoria’-Inspired Songs and Playlists Have Received a Big Boost From Season 2

February 17, 2022

If you’ve been watching Season 2 of Euphoria, then you know there’s been no shortage of chaos coming from the likes of Rue, Jules, Cassie, Maddy, and Nate. But with every twist and turn that keeps you on the edge of your seat, there’s also an incredible selection of songs soundtracking the rollercoaster ride that is life at Euphoria High.

The sounds of Euphoria haven’t been lost on fans, with streams of the official Euphoria score rising by 260% since the Season 2 premiere on January 9. But hardly satisfied with that alone, listeners have jumped in on the action, creating more than 600,000 Euphoria-related playlists on Spotify to date. 

With that in mind, Spotify took a closer look at the listening trends related to Euphoria since Season 2 began—whether it’s fans voicing their support in the form of themed playlists or artists enjoying a boost from their (literal) 15 seconds in the Euphoria spotlight.

The Euphoria effect

Shows that become pop-culture obsessions double as tastemakers, introducing viewers around the globe to an array of artists. Euphoria is no exception. Fans have especially gravitated toward Sinéad O’Connor’s “Drink Before the War,” which saw a staggering 26,900% increase in streams after it was featured in episode five. Other tracks that saw a huge leap include “Madonna” by Tarik (~2,600% increase), “4,5,6” by Big Mali (~3,600% increase), and “Uhuh Yeah” by Colbie and G.L.A.M. (~2,700% increase).

Labrinth in a league of his own

As the lead composer of Euphoria, Labrinth’s moody scores have been featured throughout both Euphoria seasons. So it makes sense that he has reaped the rewards, seeing more than a 230% increase in streams over the past month.

Mads is queen

Always in it for the drama, Maddy has become an icon for Euphoria viewers as she and Nate break up, make up, and then break up again. Spotify listeners have rallied behind their queen as a result, creating more than 3,900 Maddy Perez playlists globally. They frequently feature tracks such as “Dead To Me” by Kali Uchis, “Cocky Af” by Megan Thee Stallion, “Maneater” by Nelly Furtado, and “Needed Me” by Rihanna.  

Fezco vs. Nate

Whether they’re trying to make sense of anything Nate does or waiting to see what happens next with Fez, fans are creating soundtracks to match the vibe of these bitter enemies. 

Spotify listeners have created more than 1,000 Nate Jacobs playlists globally, with appropriate cuts such as “Heartless” by The Weeknd, “Daddy Issues” by The Neighbourhood, “Stuntin’ Like My Daddy – Street” by Birdman and Lil Wayne, and “Dead of Night” by Orville Peck making the list.   

But with more than 31,000 Fezco-related playlists created globally, it’s clear who’s winning the popularity contest among Spotify listeners. Commonly added tracks include “Money Trees” by Jay Rock and Kendrick Lamar, “Self Care” by Mac Miller, “Hypnotize” by The Notorious B.I.G., and “Hit ‘Em Up” by 2Pac and Outlawz, which was memorably featured in the Season 2 premiere. What’s more, streams of Fezco-related playlists have increased by more than 1,000% since the start of this season.

POV: You’re Cassie Howard

It’s an understatement to say that Cassie has been going through it—she’s been in the middle of every bit of madness. She’s also caught the attention of Spotify listeners, who have created more than 1,100 Cassie-themed playlists globally, and streams of these playlists have increased by more than 300% since the start of the new season. Popular cuts in these playlists include “jealousy, jealousy” by Olivia Rodrigo, “Sad Girl” by Lana Del Rey, “needy” by Ariana Grande, and “Selfish” by Madison Beer.

Rooting for Rue

Jules is looking out for Rue, and so are listeners. Spotify listeners have made their support felt by creating more than 1,100 Rue-related playlists globally, featuring songs such as “feel something” by Bea Miller, “i wanna be your girlfriend” by girl in red, “Liability” by Lorde, and “Yes I’m Changing” by Tame Impala. Since the season premiere, streams of these playlists have increased by 400%.

 

And if this all isn’t enough to quench your Euphoria thirst, be sure to check out this Euphoria playlist, which includes many of the songs featured in the show, along with plenty of others that fit the mood of Euphoria High.

How Will ‘Game of Thrones’ End? Stream the Creators’ New Playlist to Find Out

April 9, 2019

Theories about who will live, who won’t, and who will sit on the Iron Throne are flying faster than a zombie ice-breathing dragon. But now we have at least one clue how Game of Thrones will end, courtesy of series creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. The pair helped create a new Spotify playlist, Game of Thrones: The End Is Coming, to accompany their hit show’s final season—and even included a hint as to how the beloved series will conclude.

“The answer to the ending is one hundred percent hidden in the playlist choices,” Benioff and Weiss told For the Record in an email. “No one will believe us, but it’s true.”

However, sending fans scrambling through a playlist for a secret wasn’t the creators’ intention so much as wanting to share their love of rock, metal, and several other music genres. (After all, the band Mastodon appeared as zombie wights in the season-seven finale.) Among the tracks that Benioff and Weiss included in the new playlist: “Her Black Wings” by Danzig, “Sleep Now in the Fire” by Rage Against The Machine, and “Girl from the North Country” by Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan.

Benioff and Weiss. Photo credit: Filmmagic

“We were looking for songs that made us feel the way the show made us feel,” the creators explained. “There’s variety in there—Rage is not Johnny Cash. But they both have a deep inherent power.” This new playlist was created to get diehard Game of Thrones fans pumped up in this last week before the final season’s premiere on April 14.

The first playlist they developed for the show was Game of Thrones: Songs of Ice and Fire, in 2017. That playlist, like the new one, was created in collaboration with Spotify’s Head of Rock, Allison Hagendorf. Allison, Weiss, and Benioff packed that playlist with songs about war, fire, cold, and wolves, as any Game of Thrones fan would expect.

Start combing the new playlist for clues as to how the series ends (full disclosure, we are as curious as anyone), or just enjoy the 50 songs for what they’re intended to do: raise the excitement higher—if that’s even possible—for the final few episodes of one of the most popular shows in television history.

Stream the Game of Thrones: The End is Coming playlist here.