The Weeknd Teased A New Track From ‘The Idol’ Soundtrack Featuring Playboi Carti And The Original Pop Idol, Madonna

With HBO’s controversial new show The Idol just days from its long-awaited premiere, the show’s star, The Weeknd (aka Abel Tesfaye), announced the release of the latest single from its accompanying soundtrack, The Idol, Vol. 1. While he didn’t reveal the song’s title, he did share the names of its guest features. Appropriately for the dark theme of the show, Playboi Carti will appear alongside the original pop idol, Madonna, on the song, which comes out on Friday, June 2, ahead of the show’s June 4 premiere.

Although the first few episodes of the show were panned at Cannes Film Festival, the show’s co-creators Tesfaye and Sam Levinson remain convinced that the controversy is only going to lead to one of the most-watched shows in HBO history. Meanwhile, Levinson and co-star Lily-Rose Depp insisted that the show is not about Britney Spears; Madonna’s presence on the soundtrack makes it clear that the series’ perspective is inspired by many pop stars over the years.

The Weeknd said that the soundtrack was inspired by artists like Prince and Pink Floyd, so it’ll be interesting to see what that’ll sound like with the artists involved. The Weeknd previously released the Future-featuring song “Double Fantasy” from the soundtrack, so perhaps that can give listeners some idea of what to expect.