Story perspectives

Levinson Overhauls Season 3 Score After Labrinth Fallout

8/9/2026

Summary

Levinson Changes Soundtrack

Sam Levinson will change the season-three soundtrack after he and Labrinth stopped speaking following a Rolling Stone interview.
Labrinth said he has “mad respect” for Simon Cowell and praised Cowell’s talent-spotting foresight.
Labrinth co-wrote songs for The Weeknd’s Beauty Behind the Madness and the 2019 Lion King soundtrack, which earned an Oscar nomination.
Labrinth won an Emmy for “All of Us,” performed with Zendaya at Coachella 2023, and said he grew tired of pressures.

Summary

Labrinth Critiques Lyrics

“Bouncy Castles & Trampolines” on Cosmic Opera Act II laments innocence, asking “Whatever happened to being young and careless? Super Soakers.”
“Prostitute” includes the lyric “Money on the dresser/ I’m a prostitute/ No Vaseline/ This is how they do.”
Labrinth giggles at the lyric, indicating mixed amusement.
He says the song makes him feel “being pimped out by people supposed to [help] us,” while his wife called the lyric “visceral.”

History

Historical Context

In 1993 Prince adopted an unpronounceable symbol as his stage name to protest Warner Bros.’ $100 million contract dispute, marking a high-profile artist-label clash. The conflict delayed his album The Gold Experience until September 1995. Sam Levinson’s recent split with Labrinth over the Euphoria season-three soundtrack echoes Prince’s fight, showing creators still push back against label control.

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Levinson Changes Soundtrack

Sam Levinson will change the season-three soundtrack after he and Labrinth stopped speaking following a Rolling Stone interview.
Labrinth said he has “mad respect” for Simon Cowell and praised Cowell’s talent-spotting foresight.
Labrinth co-wrote songs for The Weeknd’s Beauty Behind the Madness and the 2019 Lion King soundtrack, which earned an Oscar nomination.
Labrinth won an Emmy for “All of Us,” performed with Zendaya at Coachella 2023, and said he grew tired of pressures.

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