The Weeknd, Madonna, Playboi Carti – Popular (Visualizer)

.@Madonna earned her biggest streaming day of all-time on Spotify on June 2, with 7.77 million steams. pic.twitter.com/rz7bACVbrk

— chart data (@chartdata) June 3, 2023

The Weeknd has released a fresh single titled “Popular” featuring Madonna and Playboi Carti. This upbeat pop track gives a glimpse into his upcoming soundtrack album, The Idol Vol. 1, set to be released on June 30. The music video for the song showcases the cast of the HBO series The Idol, which includes Lily-Rose Depp and Abel “the Weeknd” Tesfaye, enjoying themselves at the Cannes Film Festival, where the series premiered last month.

A preview of “Popular” was played at Cannes and quickly gained traction on social media. The Weeknd had previously hinted at the collaboration by sharing a screenshot of himself FaceTiming with Playboi Carti.

This single follows the release of another track from the soundtrack called “Double Fantasy,” featuring Future. After its premiere at Cannes, where it received mixed reviews and a short ovation, HBO unveiled a new trailer for the series. The trailer provided a 90-second glimpse into the dark and toxic side of Hollywood, with struggling pop idol Jocelyn (played by Depp) falling under the influence of Tedros, the sleazy and conniving Svengali portrayed by Tesfaye.

In March, Rolling Stone published a comprehensive report on The Idol, featuring interviews with 13 members of the cast and crew. The report revealed claims of chaotic working conditions on set and a notable shift towards darker themes in the series. Some sources described potential scenes as “sexual torture porn,” while others expressed concerns about the show becoming what it was originally satirizing.

HBO, along with the show’s core creative team consisting of Tesfaye, Depp, and Levinson, have vehemently denied these allegations in recent interviews and during a press conference at Cannes. Levinson expressed that the specifics mentioned in the report felt completely unfamiliar to him, stating that his focus is on the artistic work rather than managing his public image.

The Idol was co-created by Levinson, Tesfaye, and Reza Fahim. It features a cast including Depp, Jennie Kim, Troye Sivan, Suzanna Son, Rachel Sennott, and Dan Levy.

Source: Rolling Stone