‘Euphoria’ Composer Labrinth on His Season 2 Cameo and Writing ‘I’m Tired’ With Zendaya
variety.comEllise Shafer SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not seen the first six episodes of “Euphoria” Season 2.Labrinth doesn’t necessarily consider himself a composer.“I know I am, but I don’t look at myself that way,” the 33-year-old tells Variety. “I’m just transmitting energy that I hear and see and feel.”Indeed, when most people think of a score, they likely hear music that is purely instrumental and orchestral.
But Labrinth’s “Euphoria” compositions push that envelope, often incorporating his lush vocals and quick-witted raps. Though it’s atypical, the score fits perfectly in the world of East Highland, where teenagers navigate a dark world of lust, drugs and violence.
Labrinth gives credit to show creator Sam Levinson for seeing “dimensions in me that maybe I didn’t see,” and views himself as a songwriter, producer and composer rolled into one, akin to Burt Bacharach. “There was a time when composers and producers were almost in the same place,” he says. “I would maybe look at myself in that lane, where it’s like, I get inspired with a song as well as an orchestral piece or a sound.
I use every angle of what I do to convey an energy.”Over the past two seasons, Labrinth’s atmospheric, genre-twisting score has become just as much a phenomenon as “Euphoria” itself, earning him a 2020 Emmy win for outstanding music and lyrics for “All for Us” as well as a music composition for a series nomination.
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