‘White Lotus’ Music Supervisor Explores the Series’ (Mostly) Hawaiian Needle Drops
variety.comJazz Tangcay Artisans EditorEmmy nominee Janet Lopez, the music supervisor for “The White Lotus,” notes that the show’s creator, Mike White, didn’t script any songs.The idea was to establish the location, which took her into listening to beautiful and important music from Hawaii, that she found through researching the music available from the region’s publishers and record labels.Lopez’s goal was to thread together a musical journey that resonated with the characters while enhancing the exotic location of the show. “We wanted the music to travel with the emotion in the scene, instead of feeling like pure needle drops on top of it,” she says.To achieve that, it was down to the show’s editors to connect those moments.
Lopez says, “That allowed for flexibility to explore a variety of songs and pursue authentic tracks that were special to Mike.” Lopez explored some key music selections from the show’s first season for Variety.“Like so many songs in ‘The White Lotus,’ this song was a favorite of Mike White. … Everything about this song and the Sunday Manoa is authentic, so having it play beautifully over a new day in Hawaii as our characters wake up to the possibilities was perfect.
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