It's a well-known fact that Euphoria has a hold on contemporary pop culture, one that hasn’t let up since its series premiere back in 2019. We can easily see why, as the wildly successful — and ever-chaotic — HBO teen drama has something for everyone. Viewers flock to the screen each week to devour the show’s gripping performances, trendsetting makeup, fashion, and of course, music.
And one thing about Euphoria? It’s always going to spark an exciting wave of creativity amongst its fans.
Since the show’s season two premiere on January 9 — which broke records as the most watched episode of an HBO series ever — there's been a major increase in streams and creation of Euphoria-related playlists.
According to recent data from Spotify, over 600,000 Euphoria-related playlists have been created on the platform since the the second season first aired. And Euphoria fans aren’t just creating playlists inspired by the show, but character-specific soundtracks that speak to the story arcs of our favorite East Highland teens. Around the world, fans are gravitating towards these characters, using music to express their connections and inspirations to the world of Euphoria.
More than 1,000 Nate Jacobs-related playlists now exist in the world, and with the Fezco Hive alive and well, more than 31,000 Fezco-related playlists have been created globally.
And when it comes to problematic faves, fans apparently can't get enough. Playlists like “The Rue Bennett Mixtape" and “I Relate to Rue Bennett A Little Too Much" contain songs like “Yes I'm Changing” by Tame Impala, “Pain” and “Passion” by PinkPantheress, and “Liability” by Lorde. Meanwhile, Cassie and Sydney Sweeney stans have made playlists like “POV: You're Cassie Howard,” which features songs like “The Weekend” by SZA and “Pretty When You Cry” by Lana Del Rey. (Extremely accurate, if you ask us.)
However, per Spotify, Maddy Perez is the character that launched a thousand ships — or rather, the curation of more than 3,900 playlists.
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A quick search will bring up playlists like: “Songs to Feel Like Maddy Perez,” “Maddy Perez Energy," “Maddy Perez Getting Ready," and “Maddy Perez's Bedroom."
One playlist, titled “Maddy Perez Kinda Girl," has over 5,442 saves. The near four-hour playlist was created by Jamie Jagdewsing, a Euphoria fan from the Netherlands. A few of the standout tracks include “I Like Him” by Princess Nokia, “Smack a B*tch” by Rico Nasty, and “Girls Need Love” by Summer Walker.
“I based this playlist mostly on the storylines that happen in the show, lyrics that I think that resonate with her character and songs that I feel like she’d listen to based on her personality,” Jagdewsing tells Teen Vogue. “When I picked songs for the playlist, I mainly wanted to show Maddy’s confidence, but also how she is extroverted, powerful, very honest, and direct.”
When asked which songs on the playlist she thinks represents Maddy the most, it's clear that Jagdewsing has a deep understanding of Maddy's character dynamics and a genuine investment in the show's plotlines.
“[To me,] ‘Toxic’ by Kehlani represents her relationship with Nate in the show, which obviously isn’t a very healthy one,” says Jagdewsing. “But ‘Good For You’ by Selena Gomez is a great representation of her personality since it’s been said in the show that [Maddy] wants to look good for him and that she’d also go far to protect him. I feel like ‘She Loves Control’ by Camila Cabello describes her character altogether, because she’s very observant and wants ‘things to go her way,’ which is a lyric in the song.”
And after the show's most recently-aired episodes, especially that explosive scene between Maddy, Cassie, and Rue? “I think ‘Dead To Me’ by Kali Uchis fits Maddy’s situation in the newest episodes of the second season, because she doesn’t seem like a person who forgives easily,” says Jagdewsing.
The second season of Euphoria currently has two episodes left — and the show's momentum show's no sign of stopping, pushing the envelope and breaking the Internet each week. It's fair to guess that even when Season 2 ends, fans will continue to keep the show's energy alive while waiting for Season 3.
And with a Season 2 finale that Zendaya's been calling “hopeful” and “redemptive,” we can only hope for more optimistic playlists for Rue.
Hey Siri, play “Redemption Song” by Bob Marley?
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Want more from Teen Vogue? Check this out:
- Zendaya Hinted at How “Euphoria” Season 2 Will End
- “Euphoria” Just Made Kehlani Want to Quit Music
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