The Idol
Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye recruits the original pop idol Madonna and Playboi Carti for their new single “Popular,” which dropped Friday (June 2). The single arrives ahead of The Idol Vol. 1 soundtrack, which is now available for pre-order here, as well as the Sam Levinson-directed HBO series, which is set to premiere this Sunday, […]
HBO’s controversial drama series The Idol made its world premiere at Cannes Film Festival on Monday night (May 22), where it received a standard-measure five-minute standing ovation, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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Additionally, the publication reported that co-creator and director Sam Levinson became teary eyed as he expressed that he’s “proud of this show, proud of how we made this show.”
He also praised the cast members of The Idol cast, adding, “I feel like I gained a family. I know that’s a little culty, but that’s how it feels.”
The Weeknd, who originally pitched the concept of The Idol to HBO, makes his acting debut in the seedy musical drama, starring alongside Lily-Rose Depp, who plays a pop star in crisis and on the brink of a nervous breakdown. The “Blinding Lights” singer plays Tedros, the leader of a cult who seduces Depp’s Jocelyn.
Suzanna Son, Rachel Sennott, Troye Sivan, Dan Levy, Mike Dean, Moses Sumney, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Hank Azaria, BLACKPINK’s Jennie and more are all also set to appear in the pop star-themed series. Along with Levinson and The Weeknd, Reza Fahim is also a co-creator of the upcoming show.
The Weeknd recently defended The Idol with after Rolling Stone reported that production had been marred with controversy. “I thought the article was ridiculous. I wanted to give a ridiculous response to it,” he told Vanity Fair, pointing to his tweet responding to the story with a clip from The Idol in which his character says, “Rolling Stone? Aren’t they a little…irrelevant?”
The Idol hits HBO and MAX on June 4.
The Weeknd opened up about his upcoming HBO musical drama The Idol in a new profile on Tuesday (May 16). Sitting down with Vanity Fair, the “Blinding Lights” singer otherwise known as Abel Tesfaye defended the forthcoming series after Rolling Stone reported production had been marred with controversy, the ousting of original director Amy Seimetz […]
Jennie stars in The Weeknd‘s upcoming HBO show The Idol, but that might not be the only project the two pop music titans are cooking up together. Fans are convinced that the BLACKPINK star, while playing DJ at a recent event honoring her partnership with Calvin Klein, just previewed a sultry new duet with the “Blinding Lights” singer — and they couldn’t be more excited.
Looking stunning in a simple purple dress, Jennie was captured on video manning the sound system at the fashion celebration in Seoul alongside twin sisters/DJ duo Simi and Haze Khadra (P.S., Simi Khadra is The Weeknd’s rumored girlfriend of over a year). The three ladies dance as a vibey track plays out, featuring two voices that sound an awful lot like Jennie Kim and Abel Tesfaye’s.
But if that wasn’t convincing enough, Jennie herself reposted the video onto her own Instagram Story and tagged both The Weeknd and The Idol‘s official Instagram pages, seemingly confirming that the unreleased track is a collaboration set for the show’s soundtrack. The Khadra sisters also shared similar footage on their Story, and tagged The Weeknd, The Idol and Jennie.
“Am i dreamin? We got Jennie x the weekend, this is so cool,” one fan commented on the Instagram video reposted by Jennie. “jennie x the weeknd??? OH HELL,” wrote another.
So far, only one song has been released from The Idol‘s soundtrack as the drama series approaches its much-delayed June 4 premiere on HBO. The Weeknd and Future dropped lead single “Double Fantasy” late last month, just a few days after the “Die For You” musician debuted the track live during Metro Boomin’s Coachella performance.
Co-created by The Weeknd and Euphoria‘s Sam Levinson, The Idol stars Tesfaye as a nightclub owner/cult leader who takes over the career of a pop star named Jocelyn, played by Lily-Rose Depp. Not much is known yet about Jennie’s supporting role, but you can catch glimpses of her in some of the show’s trailers.
Check out Jennie’s sneak peek at her (possible) new song with The Weeknd below.
The Weeknd and Future team up on their latest single “Double Fantasy,” which was released Friday (April 21).
The Weeknd has been teasing “Double Fantasy,” which will be featured on the soundtrack for his upcoming HBO series The Idol, on Instagram over the last week. Last Friday, he performed it for the first time during Metro Boomin‘s Coachella set. “Temperature rising, bodies united, now that I tried you in my arms. No need to fight it, no need to hide it, now that I’ve seen what’s in your heart,” The Weeknd sang during the festival. Even though Future didn’t join him on stage for the song’s live debut, the two performed “Low Life” from Future’s 2016 album EVOL. Metro and Mike Dean co-produced “Double Fantasy.”
The song marks The Weeknd and Future’s fifth collaboration after the two first came together as featured artists on producer Mike WiLL Made-It‘s 2015 single “Drinks on Us,” which also featured Swae Lee. In 2016, the dynamic duo came together one-on-one on “Low Life,” and at the end of that same year, The Weeknd tapped Future on “All I Know” from his Starboy LP, which got the deluxe treatment last month following his and Ariana Grande‘s Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 “Die For You” remix. In 2017, the two collaborated on “Comin Out Strong” on Future’s album HNDRXX.
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The “Double Fantasy” cover art shows The Weeknd as his Idol character Tedros, a leader of a modern-day cult and the love interest of rising pop star Jocelyn, who’s played by Lily-Rose Depp (also featured on the single’s artwork). The latest teaser trailer for The Idol revealed the show will premiere on HBO on June 4. The long-awaited drama series has also been selected by Cannes Film Festival as one of four Out of Competition Selections.
Listen to “Double Fantasy” below.
The guys of 5 Seconds of Summer chatted with Billboard News’ Rania Aniftos to talk through recording their Royal Albert Hall show, working with their musical idols and more. The Weeknd has been teasing his fans all week on social media with clips of him in the studio with Mike Dean for ‘The Idol’ and a mention of a potential Coachella appearance and more!
The Weeknd‘s long-awaited HBO series, The Idol starring Lily-Rose Depp, has been chosen by Cannes Film Festival as one of four Out of Competition Selections.
Co-created by the musician and Euphoria‘s Sam Levinson, The Idol follows Depp’s character, an aspiring pop star named Jocelyn, as she works to “claim her rightful status as the greatest and sexiest pop star in America,” according to a release.
“Her passions are reignited by Tedros (Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye), a nightclub impresario with a sordid past,” the release continues. “Will her romantic awakening take her to glorious new heights or the deepest and darkest depths of her soul?”
The other three Out of Competition selections — meaning, projects that will be screened but won’t compete for any prizes — are James Mangold’s Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny, Kim Jee-woon’s COBWEB and Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. It’s unclear how many episodes of The Idol will debut at Cannes, taking place late May.
Described in trailers as the “sleaziest love story of all time,” The Idol has been in the works since 2021 and has reportedly undergone several delays and personnel changes. Some accounts say that one or more completed episodes were scrapped, rewritten and re-shot, starting when original director Amy Seimetz suddenly exited the show in April 2022. Tesfaye allegedly thought the original direction was straying too much into a “female perspective” and Levinson took over the project.
The Thursday (April 13) festival news comes one day after the “Blinding Lights” singer teased the release of The Idol‘s official soundtrack, posting a 17-second video of himself and super-producer Mike Dean overseeing an orchestra recording string instrumentals in the studio. “THE IDOL VOL. 1,” he captioned the clip with a CD emoji, “coming soon (double fantasy & jealous guy just a taste).”
See the full 2023 Cannes Film Festival lineup here.
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