Popular (The Weeknd, Playboi Carti and Madonna song)

On May 31, 2023, the Weeknd announced that The Idol, Vol. 1, the accompanying soundtrack for the HBO drama series The Idol due for release on June 30, would include a single by himself, Madonna and Playboi Carti, titled "Popular". A snippet of the song was first teased at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, where the series premiered on May 22, 2023. The song was officially released as the soundtrack's second single on June 2. Originally a collaboration between only the Weeknd and Playboi Carti, and with a different version prior to Madonna, in an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1, the Weeknd said "I've always wanted to work with her". He continued saying: "She's the ultimate co-sign for this song, for this album, and for this TV show. And you'll hear more of her in the show as well too. She is the ultimate pop star". On January 26, 2024, after seeing a resurgence in commercial performance, an EP with multiple versions of the single was released. Playboi Carti continued to use this song in a sample in his 2025 album, Music on the track "Evil J0rdan". == Composition ==

"Popular" is a midtempo R&B song, whose lyrics give allusion to the "allure and pitfalls of fame and fortune" referring to a woman who "will do anything to achieve celebrity status". Starr Bowenbank from Billboard called the song a "slinky track", laden with "booming synth instrumentals and plinking percussion" reminiscent of early 2000s R&B urban pop. == Critical reception ==

"Popular" was well received by music critics. In a positive review for Billboard, Jason Lipshutz wrote: "The Weeknd, Madonna and Playboi Carti function like Kendall, Shiv and Roman pre-boardroom drama: what looks like an odd collection of artists on paper complement each other nicely, with The Weeknd and Madonna providing pop flourishes over plinking rhythms and Carti accentuating the song with some of his trademark mumbling to polish off what could be a kicky summer song". Remarking on its lyrics, Jennifer Zhan of Vulture hailed the song a new anthem for "clout chasers". American Songwriters Thomas Galindo called the Weeknd's verse "ingenious"; Madonna's "a standout moment"; and noted how the song is able to use Playboi Carti's "squeaky-voiced bridge to the fullest", despite a minimal contribution. Kevin Bourne from Shifter Magazine called it "a surprising treat that we didn't know we wanted". Upon release, "Popular" won a poll conducted by Billboard as reader's favorite new music release of the week. On June 14, 2023, Rolling Stone picked it as one of the best songs of the year so far. == Commercial performance ==

"Popular" debuted and peaked at number 43 on the Billboard Hot 100 with 10.1 million official streams, 2 million airplay audience impressions and 4,000 copies sold in its first week, according to Luminate. The debut of "Popular" made Madonna one of few artists to have a Hot 100 entry across five consecutive decades, and the second woman to achieve the feat after Cher. "Popular" lasted on the charts for 19 weeks. The song also marks Madonna's first R&B number-one song on a Billboard chart, topping the component R&B Digital Song Sales. On June 20, 2024, the song was certified platinum, which became Madonna's first song to achieve this since "4 Minutes" (2008). In the United Kingdom, "Popular" peaked at number 10, becoming Madonna's highest-peaking single in the UK since "Celebration" reached number three in 2009 and her 64th top-ten hit across four non-consecutive decades. This extended Madonna's record for the female artist with the most top-ten songs on the chart. and New Zealand, == Music video and live performance ==

To accompany its release, the Weeknd uploaded a music visualizer of the song on his YouTube, featuring a montage of clips and photos from the Cannes premiere of the series and the afterparty. On July 25, in order to further promote the song, the Weeknd uploaded a live performance of the song on YouTube. The Weeknd performed "Popular" for the second leg of his After Hours til Dawn Tour. An official music video for the song premiered on February 15, 2024, exclusively on Fortnite. The video was filmed in August 2023, and features shots between the Weeknd dancing and drinking at Hatfield House, Madonna dancing and rolling around on a sofa in a high-rise apartment, Playboi Carti dancing around a Mercedes-Benz Maybach, and also additional scenes throughout Scotland such as the Dundas Castle. The video was released a week later on YouTube. On December 4, 2025, the video reached 100 million views on YouTube, making Madonna the first female artist in history, and second to Michael Jackson to have a music video achieve this feat in five different decades. == Track listing ==

• Digital and streaming single • "Popular" – 3:35 • "Popular" (sped up) – 3:07 • "Popular" (slowed) – 4:18 • "Popular" (instrumental) – 3:35 • "Popular" (a cappella) – 3:35 • 7-inch vinyl • "One of the Girls" – 4:04 • "Popular" – 3:35 == Charts ==

Weekly charts Monthly charts Year-end charts == Certifications ==