Key Takeaways
- Labrinth has publicly expressed his frustration with the music industry and his record label.
- His Instagram post included a strong statement against Columbia Records and HBO’s Euphoria.
- The musician recently released an album and teased new music related to Euphoria.
- Labrinth has been involved with the show since its inception, contributing significantly to its soundtracks.
Labrinth has made a bold declaration against his record label, his longtime partnership with HBO’s Euphoria and the music industry as a whole in a fiery post that came seemingly out of nowhere Friday (March 13).
Written in white, all-caps text against a stark black backdrop, the singer-songwriter’s message on Instagram cut right to the chase. “I’M DONE WITH THIS INDUSTRY,” it read. “F–K COLUMBIA. DOUBLE F–K EUPHORIA.”
He concluded, “I’M OUT. THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT X.”
Billboard has reached out to Columbia and HBO for comment, as well as Labrinth’s rep for additional information.
It’s unclear what sparked Labrinth’s post. The musician had just released new album Cosmic Opera Act I in January via the Sony-owned label, to which he’s been signed since 2019. He also posted a teaser for new music on Instagram on March 4 with the caption “04.10.26,” possibly referring to his upcoming score for the third season of Euphoria, which premieres April 12.
The producer has been working with Euphoria and its creator, Sam Levinson, since the show’s beginning in 2019, composing, producing and sometimes singing on all of the songs on the soundtracks for seasons one and two. “I’m Tired” from the second season, which features leading lady Zendaya on vocals, reached No. 53 on the Billboard Hot 100.
“I don’t think I was excited about composing for a TV show, honestly speaking,” Labrinth told Billboard in a 2022 interview. “I did want to compose music, but the thing that excited me the most was Sam’s passion for the show, and what he wanted to do … It felt like method acting with music. And especially with Euphoria, where one minute you’re making funk and then the next minute you’re making, I don’t know, some Vivaldi piece of music, for me that was super fun.”
Before Euphoria, Labrinth debuted in 2010 with single “Let the Sun Shine.” His first album, Electronic Earth, came out two years later. It was one of two LPs he dropped while signed to Syco, Simon Cowell’s record label, before switching to Columbia.
