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Composer Cristóbal Tapia de Veer Reflects on Contentious ‘White Lotus’ Tenure
Cristóbal Tapia de Veer, the Emmy-winning composer behind the distinctive scores for HBO’s hit series “The White Lotus,” recently shared insights into his sometimes turbulent experience working on the show. In a candid interview, Tapia de Veer, known for his innovative and experimental musical style, discussed creative clashes and fan reactions to the show’s evolving theme music, revealing his decision to depart after Season 3. Fans of “The White Lotus” and its memorable music will find this discussion enlightening.
Departure from ‘The White Lotus’
Despite garnering three Emmy Awards for his compositions for “The White Lotus”, Cristóbal Tapia de Veer confirmed his exit from the production following the third season. Speaking from his Quebec home, the Chilean-born composer alluded to ongoing creative disagreements with Mike White, the series creator and director, as a primary factor in his decision.
Creative Differences and Musical Direction
Tapia de Veer revealed that creative friction emerged as early as the first season. He described exchanges with producers as occasionally “hysterical,” noting a recurring desire from the creative team for music that leaned towards a more conventional, upbeat style, contrasting with his preference for more experimental and darker compositions. HBO representatives declined to provide comments on these assertions.
Comparing his experience to band dynamics, Tapia de Veer remarked, “I feel like this was, you know, a rock ’n’ roll band story. 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, and is always fighting with the guitar player.”
Season 3 Theme and Fan Uproar
Addressing the Season 3 theme, titled “Enlightenment,” Tapia de Veer expressed his personal admiration for the track. However, he disclosed his initial aspiration to incorporate a more extended version that would gradually transition into the widely recognized melody from the first two seasons. Due to its exclusion from the aired version, a frustrated Tapia de Veer released the complete “uncut ending” on his YouTube channel for fans to experience the intended musical evolution.
Reflections on Composing the Iconic Theme
The Genesis of the Phenomenal Theme
Reflecting on the immense popularity of the Season 2 theme, Tapia de Veer dismissed the notion of increased pressure for subsequent seasons. He clarified, “Pressure? Not really. The pressure has always been something else in this show.” He then offered to elaborate on the origin and development of “The White Lotus” theme, stating, “And since we’re talking themes, I wonder if I should tell you for the first theme, how it got to the second — like, the whole ‘White Lotus’ theme thing. You know, I haven’t done any interviews, so I don’t even know where to start with this.”
Departure Announcement and Creator’s Reaction
Tapia de Veer revealed the sequence of events leading to his departure becoming known to Mike White: “It’s kind of weird right now because I announced to the team a few months ago that I was not coming back, that I was leaving. 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 he heard about that.”
When directly asked if his decision to leave was final, Tapia de Veer affirmed, “Yeah, yeah. For sure.”
Regarding Mike White’s reaction upon learning of his departure, Tapia de Veer remained somewhat circumspect, stating, “He says a lot of things, but I can’t really talk about that.” He instead drew an analogy to the French film “La Cage Aux Folles,” comparing the show’s dynamic to the relationship between the flamboyant Albin and the pragmatic Renato, “To me, the show felt very much like that.”
Initial Hesitations and “Hawaiian Hitchcock”
Delving into his initial impressions upon reading the script, Tapia de Veer admitted uncertainty about his suitability for the project: “When I got the script, I wasn’t sure that it was something for me, because it was very well written, but there’s a reality TV kind of vibe going on, and comedic. My stuff in general is the opposite of this, it’s super dark and edgy.” However, a pivotal conversation with Mike White shifted his perspective. “But when we had the talk with Mike, I just told him in a joke that I thought we could do some kind of ‘Hawaiian Hitchcock,’ and he really grabbed on that and he started laughing.”
The Struggle for the Original Theme
Tapia de Veer emphasized the collaborative effort and challenges in realizing the distinctive “White Lotus” sound: “I feel like I need to give credit where credit is due, because it’s hard to know how something like ‘The White Lotus’ can actually happen, which is harder than people might imagine.” He highlighted the crucial role of producer Heather Persons in advocating for his musical vision, “I was on the phone with her [Heather Persons, one of the show’s producers] all the time, and she was trying to convince Mike about this theme, because he didn’t want the theme.”
Overcoming Initial Resistance to Season 1 Theme
According to Tapia de Veer, Mike White initially envisioned a different sonic landscape for the show: “He didn’t want the Season 1 theme? He had a temp score, a song that is more like something you would listen to in Ibiza, in some clubby place with a chill, sexy vibe. And there’s literally no edge to it.” He contrasted White’s initial preference with his own approach, “I just stuck to what I was doing. And when I was giving versions, it was still the same thing: There were still crazy people and screaming and stuff like that.” This divergence led to a negotiation, “From there, it became this weird relationship of, How do I pass all this weird music into the show?”
Instrumentation and Inspiration for Season 3
Regarding the musical direction for the Season 3 theme, “Enlightenment,” Tapia de Veer explained, “There was no direction. When I started working on this, I had a collection of Thai gongs that are unrelated to the show. So I started experimenting with that, and then I started looking for someone to play the saw u, which is the Thai violin, which in the theme happens in the beginning.” He also incorporated unexpected instruments, “My mom sent me an accordion at some point, an Italian accordion, and I have no idea how to play it. But I was able to play that. I think it helps the melody, to make it more uplifting, because the melody is very dark.”
The Unconventional Melody and Fan Reaction
Describing the unique nature of the “White Lotus” melody, Tapia de Veer noted, “The melody is special. It’s something very weird, and is almost impossible to sing unless you’re a singer with a good ear, because the intervals in it are really hard.” He emphasized its enigmatic quality, “It has a mystery in it that is kind of magic to me. It’s like there’s some witchery going on.”
Addressing the fan response to the altered Season 3 theme, Tapia de Veer acknowledged the initial backlash: “When that came out, I had TMZ calling me, even people from England and from France, because they wanted some kind of statement about the theme. People are furious about the change of the theme, and I thought that was interesting.”
He then detailed the behind-the-scenes discussions about incorporating the familiar “ooh-loo-loo-loo” melody: “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. He thought it was a good idea. But then Mike cut that — he wasn’t happy about that. I mean, at that point, we already had our last fight forever, I think. So he was just saying no to anything. So I just uploaded that to my YouTube.”
Fan Transformation and Sense of Pride
Reflecting on the evolving fan sentiment, Tapia de Veer observed, “Oh, yeah. At one point, people were like insulting me and sending me horrible things. And then I started seeing these videos: ‘You know what, I used to hate the theme but now I’m kind of dancing to it.’ It’s like they’re transformed. I was really excited about that.”
Ultimately, despite the creative hurdles, Tapia de Veer expressed pride in his contributions to “The White Lotus”: “I mean, it is what it is. You know, I was watching the Emmys, and it’s like, there’s one thing I’m pretty proud of and that is I feel like I never gave up. Maybe I was being unprofessional, and for sure Mike feels that I was always unprofessional to him because I didn’t give him what he wanted. But what I gave him did this, you know — did those Emmys, people going crazy.”
He concluded by valuing the artistic struggle and its rewards, “I treasure that more than something else I did that was just a success, and it works and that’s that, with less struggle. This was a good struggle.”