Following the explosive Season 2 finale of HBO’s “Euphoria,” composer Labrinth and star Zendaya have released the full version of “I’m Tired.”
The gospel-inspired track was first heard in Episode 4, when Labrinth performs the song live during an emotional fantasy scene in which Rue (Zendaya) envisions she is in church. In Sunday night’s finale, viewers got to hear the last minute of the song, which features Zendaya singing solo accompanied by bare-bones piano. Co-written by Labrinth, Zendaya and show creator Sam Levinson, “I’m Tired” is now available on all major streaming services and will appear on the full soundtrack for the show.
In an interview with Variety, Labrinth discussed the process of writing the track with Zendaya and making a cameo in the show.
“She was like, ‘Check out this scene, this is what we’re talking about.’ Then I [sang], ‘Hey lord, you know I’m tired.’ And then she was like, ‘Oh shit!’ And we just started writing the song,” he said. “It was all of that impulsive inspiration, you know? And then being in the scene, I was like, ‘I haven’t performed for a while and I’ve not been on American TV before or been an actor before — oh shit, what do I do?’ I [was] like, just be in the moment. And I know what Rue’s character is going through, so I was like, ‘Zone in and let go of your own issues.’”
Of Zendaya and Levinson, Labrinth said: “We’re all going to the edge of what we can get in our fields. We all spiritually, creatively and personally understand each other.”
Watch the song’s lyric video below.