The Weeknd has enlisted Madonna and Playboi Carti for “Popular,” the latest song from the soundtrack of his upcoming HBO show The Idol.
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The new unofficial clout chaser anthem, is all about someone who desperately wants to be famous. With lyrics like “Beggin’ on her knees to be popular / That’s her dream, to be popular / Kill anyone to be popular / Sell her soul to be popular.”
The visualizer features footage of The Idol’s cast at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where the first two episodes were screened ahead of its official release on June 4 at 9PM ET.
“Popular” is the second song to be released from The Idol Vol. 1 (Music from the HBO Original Series), following The Weeknd and Future’s first soundtrack single, “Double Fantasy.”
The song started off as a collaboration with just Playboi Carti, as The Weeknd revealed in a recent interview with Zane Lowe. “We’ve had a different version of this song prior. So I’ve had these vocals for a while, and I’ve kind of just worked around it, and then kind of kept it in the tuck. But now it felt like it was time,” he revealed, also calling Madonna “the ultimate co-sign for this song.”
“I’ve always wanted to work with her,” the Weeknd continued. “I’ve always wanted to write and produce a Madonna album… well, co-produce with her, of course. She’s a visionary and she has such a singular vision, and I just want to come into her world and create a classic Madonna album. That was always my dream. Hopefully this is the appetizer for that.”
Check out “Popular” above.
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