Labrinth’s explosive Instagram declaration—”IM DONE WITH THIS INDUSTRY. F— COLUMBIA. DOUBLE F— EUPHORIA. IM OUT”—marks a stunning reversal for the Emmy-winning composer, who previously hailed the HBO series as a creative catalyst, now deriding it while exiting the industry amid unresolved label tensions that threaten the soundtrack for the long-awaited Season 3.
In a move that has sent shockwaves through both the music and television industries, Labrinth (born Timothy McKenzie) posted a visceral, all-caps rant to Instagram on March 13, 2026, announcing his immediate departure from the music business while explicitly calling out his label, Columbia Records, and the cultural phenomenon Euphoria.
The post, captured in its raw form via Instagram, left no room for interpretation: “IM DONE WITH THIS INDUSTRY. F— COLUMBIA. DOUBLE F— EUPHORIA. IM OUT. THANK YOU AND GOODNIGHT X.” This level of public vitriol from an artist of his stature is unprecedented, especially toward a project that defined his recent career.
To understand the gravity of this rupture, one must first appreciate Labrinth’s integral role in shaping the sonic identity of Euphoria. Since its debut, he has composed the entire score for the first two seasons of Sam Levinson‘s teen drama, creating a genre-bending soundscape that fused electrifying pop with haunting orchestral arrangements. This work culminated in a 2020 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for his song “All For Us,” a testament to how deeply his music became intertwined with the show’s emotional core.
His creative vision for the series was so valued that in 2024, HBO announced a major coup: Labrinth would collaborate with legendary composer Hans Zimmer for the score of Season 3. At age 68, Zimmer publicly stated, “Labrinth’s music has shaped the show’s identity and I’m looking forward to contributing to the ongoing story and helping shape this new season through music.” Labrinth himself expressed equal enthusiasm in separate remarks, calling Zimmer “one of my heroes in film score” and pledging to “bring some new magic” to the season.
This announced partnership, reported by outlets like Variety, positioned Season 3 as a creative summit for the franchise. The season is slated to premiere on April 12, 2025, and is set to jump forward five years after high school. Show creator Sam Levinson has teased specific futures for core characters: Zendaya‘s Rue is “trying to come up with some very innovative ways” to handle debt, Sydney Sweeney‘s Cassie and Jacob Elordi‘s Nate are engaged and “living in the suburbs,” and Hunter Schafer‘s Jules is in art school. Colman Domingo is also set to return, with Sharon Stone joining as a showrunner.
The full returning cast ensemble includes Zendaya, Hunter Schafer, Jacob Elordi, Sydney Sweeney, Alexa Demie, Dominic Fike, Maude Apatow, Eric Dane, Colman Domingo, Martha Kelly, and Chloe Cherry. They will be joined by new additions such as global music superstar Rosalía, former NFL player Marshawn Lynch, and actors Kadeem Hardison, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, and Toby Wallace, as detailed in the original reporting from People.
Against this backdrop of creative momentum and a highly anticipated premiere, Labrinth‘s departure is catastrophic. The composer was not just a contributor but the franchise’s primary musical architect. His sudden exit raises immediate, urgent questions: Who will compose the Season 3 score now? Can Hans Zimmer proceed alone, or will the entire collaborative vision need to be scrapped and rebuilt in a compressed timeline? The logistical and artistic vacuum is immense, and HBO has issued no statement regarding contingency plans.
More broadly, the phrase “DOUBLE F— EUPHORIA” suggests a profound disillusionment that transcends mere contract disputes. In an April 2022 interview with People, Labrinth described the show as “a massive shift for me creatively,” stating it “inspired my journey for what I want to do.” His subsequent album and future projects were ostensibly shaped by this experience. His current repudiation implies either a betrayal of that inspiration or a painful recalibration of his artistic goals—possibly both.
The explicit “F— COLUMBIA” chant points to a longstanding battle with his record label, Sony Music’s Columbia Records. While the exact nature of the dispute remains unclear from his post, artists frequently clash with labels over creative control, ownership of masters, and financial terms. By linking his label grievances directly to Euphoria, Labrinth may be implying that the show’s demands—or the surrounding commercial machinery—became entangled with his label obligations, creating an untenable situation where his work on the series felt compromised or exploitative.
This incident underscores a growing tension in the entertainment ecosystem: as streaming giants like HBO increasingly rely on signature soundtracks to build brand identity and viewer loyalty, the composers behind those scores become critical assets. Yet their primary contractual and financial relationships often remain with traditional music labels, creating complex, sometimes conflicting, allegiances. Labrinth‘s outburst is a raw scream against this dual-pressure system, where artistic passion for a project can be sullied by corporate realities.
For fans, the implications are deeply personal. The unique, almost therapeutic quality of the Euphoria score—a character in itself—has been a huge part of the show’s appeal. Replacing Labrinth mid-stream is not like swapping a crew member; it risks fracturing the auditory continuity that has defined the series’ aesthetic for four years. The “magic” Hans Zimmer promised to help craft now seems impossible without the original architect.
As the industry scrambles, one thing is certain: Labrinth has irrevocably altered his legacy. The man who won an Emmy for Euphoria now refuses to even utter its name. Whether this is a career-ending gambit or a legendary act of artistic protest will be debated, but for HBO, the immediate crisis is concrete: how to release Season 3 without its musical visionary. The clock is ticking toward an April premiere with a creative hole at its center.
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