{"id":344505,"date":"2026-03-13T12:46:05","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T17:46:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/labrinth-built-the-sound-of-euphoria-then-sam-levinson-left-him-out-two-days-later-labrinth-blew-it-up"},"modified":"2026-03-13T12:46:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T17:46:10","slug":"labrinth-built-the-sound-of-euphoria-then-sam-levinson-left-him-out-two-days-later-labrinth-blew-it-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/labrinth-built-the-sound-of-euphoria-then-sam-levinson-left-him-out-two-days-later-labrinth-blew-it-up","title":{"rendered":"Labrinth Constructed the Sound of Euphoria. Then Sam Levinson Left Him Out. Two Days Later, Labrinth Blew It Up"},"content":{"rendered":"

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On Thursday night, the man most closely associated with Euphoria<\/em>\u2019s music posted a screenshot from his Notes app to Instagram and seemed to torch his relationship with his label, the show, and the industry in one move. No caption. No context. No press release. Just five lines of all-caps fury aimed at Columbia, Euphoria<\/em>, and a business he says he\u2019s finished with. \u201cI\u2019m done with this industry<\/a>. F\u2014k Columbia. Double f\u2014k Euphoria<\/em>. I\u2019m out. Thank you and good night x.\u201d Thirty days before Euphoria<\/em> Season 3 premieres on HBO and HBO Max on April 12.<\/p>\n

The \u201cx\u201d at the end, as only the British can, made it somehow worse.<\/p>\n

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Labrinth in new Instagram post ahead of \u2018Euphoria\u2019 Season 3:<\/p>\n

\u201cIM DONE WITH THIS INDUSTRY
F*CK COLUMBIA
DOUBLE F*CK EUPHORIA
IM OUT
THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT X\u201d pic.twitter.com\/JbIWjo4rd0<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Pop Base (@PopBase) March 13, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Who Labrinth Is, and Why This Hits Different<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Labrinth, real name Timothy Lee McKenzie, is the British singer-songwriter and producer who has shaped Euphoria<\/em>\u2019s sound since the first season. This is not a peripheral contributor. Songs like \u201cAll for Us,\u201d \u201cFormula,\u201d \u201cMount Everest,\u201d and \u201cNever Felt So Alone\u201d helped define the emotional texture of the show, and \u201cAll for Us\u201d won the 2020 Emmy for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics. \u201cNever Felt So Alone,\u201d his Billie Eilish collaboration, also landed a Grammy nomination. He is, by any reasonable measure, central to how Euphoria<\/em> feels.<\/p>\n

In a 2022 interview, Labrinth described the freedom Sam Levinson gave him on the show in much simpler terms: \u201cOK, Lab, I just need you to do Lab<\/a>.\u201d That was then.<\/p>\n

\"2026\"artist\"
Sam Levinson. Credit: Gage Skidmore\/Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Detail Everyone Is Glossing Over<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In a Hollywood Reporter<\/em> interview published on March 11, the quote that traveled fastest was Levinson\u2019s: \u201cHans Zimmer\u2019s score is just extremely emotional and wild this season<\/a>.\u201d In the widely circulated excerpt, he singled out Zimmer, not Labrinth.<\/p>\n

Last July, trade coverage said Zimmer would be joining Season 3 as a composer alongside Labrinth<\/a>. So this was never presented as a replacement on paper. But in the public messaging around the new season, the spotlight had very clearly shifted.<\/p>\n

Six days before the post, Levinson was in Paris for Balenciaga\u2019s Fall\/Winter 2026 show, a collaboration that incorporated Euphoria<\/em> imagery and music tied to the series. Whatever went wrong, it happened against a very public rollout.<\/p>\n

\"Columbia\"\"Composer\"
Hans Zimmer. Credit: Raph_PH\/Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Internet Reacts, and Takes Sides<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The comments were filled with support, not confusion. People were not reading the post as a joke. Variety highlighted one fan writing, \u201cYou totally made Euphoria<\/em>. Whatever it is, just know I\u2019m on your side,\u201d while singer Skylar Grey added, \u201cPlease don\u2019t stop making music, the world needs you.\u201d<\/span>That is the kind of reaction you get when the audience already believes the artist is essential to the thing he is blowing up.<\/p>\n

The fan theories are running hot. Money. Credits. Creative fallout. Something personal. None of that is confirmed, and none of it should be treated as fact. But the speed of the speculation tells you the same thing the post did. People do not think this came out of nowhere.<\/p>\n

\"Grammy\"\"HBO\"
Credit: labrinth\/Instagram<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

HBO and Columbia Have Said Nothing<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As of Friday morning, Variety reported that representatives for Labrinth, HBO, and Columbia Records did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Daily Beast<\/em> also noted that Levinson, Zimmer, and HBO had not publicly addressed the post. The silence is part of the story now.<\/p>\n

What is confirmed is simpler. Season 3 still debuts April 12<\/a>. What is not confirmed is the current state of Labrinth\u2019s involvement behind the scenes, or whether anything changed after the post. That uncertainty is exactly why the blowup landed so hard.<\/p>\n