- The White Lotus is an HBO show created by Mike White
- The show’s composer has been the same for the three seasons
- In season 4, the current composer will not return
More news about The White Lotus has come to the surface, not any good news. After three seasons, The White Lotus composer has left the show. Created by Mike White, The White Lotus follows privileged people as they holiday at the exclusive White Lotus Resort. Each season is set in a different location. Season one is in Hawaii, two in Italy, and three in Thailand. A key plot of each season is a murder or murderers, and the events that lead up to them.
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Plot lines in season 3 are wild: An incest story, a man who wants to kill his family, and Greg is still alive. Fans love the new cast, and on Rotten Tomatoes, season 3 has a score of 89 percent. Not bad! HBO has already renewed the show for a fourth season. Undoubtedly, there will be another star-studded cast and another who-dunnit mystery.
But a key part of that is the composer, and since the show’s composer is leaving, the question is: why?
Why did the White Lotus composer leave the show?
Cristóbal Tapia de Veer composed the music for all three seasons of The White Lotus and will not return for season 4. Unfortunately, he will not return because of creative differences with the show’s creator.
Speaking to The New York Times, the White Lotus composer said he and White have different views on the show’s theme song. For the show, there is a background in each season that reflects the setting and tone.
Both seasons one and two have a background chorus in their theme song. However, in season 3, this was removed for a faster and darker sound. Listening to the song, it sounds like an EDM song with swelling music. At first, fans were confused by the stylistic change, but now it makes sense.
In the interview, De Veer says White wanted a “background song that is more like something you would listen to in Ibiza, in some clubby place with a chill, sexy vibe.”
Of the stylistic change, De Veer said: “I texted the producer and I told him that it would be great to, at some point, give them the longer version with the ooh-loo-loo-loos, because people will explode if they realize that it was going there anyway.”
The composer continued, “He thought it was a good idea. But then Mike cut that — he wasn’t happy about that.”
Damningly, De Veer claimed that White was “saying no to everything” relating to musical and style ideas.
De Veer did not tell Mike White he was leaving
“I announced to the team a few months ago that I was not coming back, that I was leaving,” De Veer revealed. “I didn’t tell Mike for various reasons; I wanted to tell him just at the end for the shock and whatever. Except I told the whole editorial team and music editor, and producer, and all that, but I didn’t think that they were going to tell him. At some point, they heard about that.”
In response to complaints about the season’s score, De Veer posted his version on YouTube.
Talking on his professional relationship with White, he compared it to a rock band. Yikes. “I was like, OK, this is like a rock band I’ve been in before where the guitar player doesn’t understand the singer at all,” De Veer said.
What other music has The White Lotus composer made?
Prior to The White Lotus, De Veer scored the British TV series Utopia and the horror film Smile 2. Also in 2024, he composed music for the erotic thriller Baby Girl. As a result of his White Lotus work, he won two Primetime Emmy Awards.
Tune in to The White Lotus finale on 6 April. Meanwhile, stay tuned for updates and breakdowns of the highly-anticipated final episode!
