If you waited three years to hear the iconic White Lotus theme song again every Sunday night, I unfortunately have some bad news to share. The iconic melody and howls you know and love from season one ('Aloha!'), and even the more operatic remix in season two ('Renaissance'), are not in the third season of the show. Instead, a new tune, playful and staccato, plays over the opening credits. It’s still catchy, for sure — but it’s not the same.
The former White Lotus theme became a viral sensation, especially during the second season in 2022. It was dubbed a 'banger' by multiple outlets; streams of 'Aloha!' increased by 200% on Spotify, and 'Renaissance' was even remixed by Tiësto. So it’s no wonder why viewers were surprised to find the beloved song was replaced in the new season, which debuted last night on HBO.
Composer Cristobal Tapia de Veer, who wrote all three theme songs for The White Lotus, has not yet addressed the change, but he previously hinted at his inspirations for season three.
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'For Thailand, I want to bring in some Eastern philosophy, something a little bit spiritual,' he told Spotify’s newsroom, For the Record. 'I love the Buddhist temples there, and funnily enough I have a collection of Thai gongs. I have 36 Thai gongs to make melodies with, so you can expect to hear some of those. I’d really like to go deep with it, make it take a journey.'
He also teased his approach to the season 3 music when he spoke to Deadline in 2023. 'I really liked this orchestral thing. I might go with the orchestral. We’ll see,' he said. 'I mean, it has to fit Thailand, but it doesn’t mean that it has to mimic local music or anything like that.'
If you’re having withdrawals from the original melody, tune in to both versions at the top of this article.
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Erica Gonzales is the Deputy Editor, Culture at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage on TV, movies, music, books, and more. She was previously an editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com. There is a 75 percent chance she’s listening to Lorde right now.
