We’re just two days away from the premiere of The Weeknd’s highly anticipated new HBO series The Idol, and today, the Canadian pop star has released a second single off the soundtrack. It’s called “Popular”—fitting for a show seemingly about morally suspect music-biz strivers—and it features Playboi Carti and Madonna. (It’s the first time any of these artists have worked together.) Plus, the song was co-produced by Metro Boomin, who’s having himself quite the Friday, what with the simultaneous release of his Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse soundtrack.
Metro Boomin produced “Popular” with The Weeknd and Mike Dean, and the song has the slick, synthed-out feel you’d expect from a Weeknd track. As the song opens, the first voice we hear is Madonna’s. She’s a wizened Hollywood insider who knows what darkness lurks in the shadows of Sunset Boulevard.
I’ve seen the devil
Down Sunset, in every place, in every face
The Weeknd jumps in for the first verse, offering up plenty of Michael Jackson-style gasps and grunts as he describes a fame-hungry woman who fronts like she doesn’t crave attention.
Tell me, do you see her? (Yeah) She’s livin’ her life (Uh)
Even if she acts like she don’t want the limelight (Uh, yeah, uh, uh)
But if you knew her (Yeah, uh), she lives a lie
She calls the paparazzi, then she acts surprised, oh
On the chorus, The Weeknd tells us just how far this woman will go for fame. Murder is evidently not out of the question.
Beggin' on her knees to be popular
That’s her dream, to be popular (Hey)
Kill anyone to be popular
Sell her soul to be popular
Carti takes the post-chorus and raps from the POV of someone taking advantage of this girl. She’s with him because he’s someone, and that’s precisely who she’d like to be.
Money on top of me, money on top of her (Uh)
Money on top of me, money on top of her (Uh)
Yuh, shawty fuck with me ’cause she know I’m popular (Uh)
Yuh, shawty fuck with me ’cause she know I’m popular
Madonna grabs the second verse and seemingly voices the female character. She’s trying to maintain a piece of herself in an industry that’s designed to corrupt her.
I know that you see me, time’s gone by
Spend my whole life runnin’ from your flashin’ lights
Try to own it (Uh), but I’m alright (Yeah)
You can’t take my soul without a fuckin’ fight (Uh, oh)
On the bridge, The Weeknd hints at some harsh showbiz realities—like how you can wind up owing your record company massive amounts of money, even after a hit record. But you’re never completely sunk if people still care about you on social media.
Pop-popular, born to be popular
She in debt, twenty mill’, but she run it up
She can never be broke ’cause she popular
Turn the webcam on for the followers
“Popular” arrived with a visualizer packed with footage of The Idol’s cast in Cannes. For these three minutes, at least, being popular looks pretty great.
You can read all the lyrics to “Popular” on Genius now.
