The White Lotus theme song composer Cristóbal Tapia de Veer exits show after feud with showrunner

Three-time Emmy-winning composer Cristóbal Tapia de Veer has announced that he will not be returning for season 4 of The White Lotus. He cited creative differences with the show's creator, Mike White, as his reason for stepping away. In a recent interview, Tapia de Veer revealed that these differences began during season 1 when they were working on the show's theme song and intensified during the production of the currently airing season.

Why did Cristóbal Tapia de Veer leave The White Lotus?

His distinctive theme, featuring the 'ooh-loo-loo-loo' melody, added a sense of eeriness that resonated with viewers; however, it was absent in season 3. For the current season, Tapia de Veer noted that White requested a more upbeat background score that "one would listen to in Ibiza, in some clubby place with a chill, sexy vibe."

“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,” he remarked.

In a lighter vein, Tapia de Veer compared his working relationship with White to the cult 1978 French film La Cage aux folles, which stars Michel Serrault and Ugo Tognazz.

“You know how there’s Albin, which is like the star, and there’s Renato, who is the producer who is always taking care that Albin doesn’t lose his mind about something, because Albin is the diva and Renato is the guy who is trying to make everything work,” he said. “To me, the show felt very much like that.”

The season 3 finale of The White Lotus is scheduled to air this Sunday and will run for nearly 90 minutes, according to HBO. The cast for this season includes Parker Posey, Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Michelle Monaghan, Leslie Bibb, Natasha Rothwell, Carrie Coon, Scott Glenn, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Aimee Lou Wood, Sarah Catherine Hook, Sam Nivola, and Blackpink member Lisa