Britney or Selena? The List of Every Pop Star Reference in The Idol
The series about a pop star, co-created by a pop star, that makes many references to real pop stars, two in particular.
Amid The Idol's controversial 'torture sex' scenes, cult-family gatherings, and music production, many references were made to real-life pop stars with two names standing out above the rest: music industry icons Britney Spears and Selena Gomez.
The Idol's references started with the trailer, which featured Britney Spears' Gimme More, her comeback song after her public mental breakdown, and from there, the references to real-life pop stars continued, and they weren't all well received.
Selena Gomez has ties to The Idol co-director and co-star, Abel 'The Weeknd' Tesfaye. Gomez and Tesfaye's brief relationship in 2017 has led to many fan theories that the protagonist, Jocelyn, is based on Gomez, and the pair's intimate life. Whilst this cannot be proven and has not been confirmed, Selena's fans certainly weren't happy about it.
Each episode referred to big industry names, some more subtly than others.
Episode 1
Episode 1 shows Jocelyn posing for a photoshoot. Amid pill bottles and booze, her hospital bracelet stands out as a nod to the cover for Selena Gomez's 2017 single, Bad Liar, in which the star was also featured nude and wore her hospital bracelet following her Lupus treatment.
Like Jocelyn, Selena had canceled her 2016 world tour due to her ongoing mental health struggles as she prepared to stay in a facility to deal with anxiety and depression.
In the same episode, Jocelyn practices a dance routine. Amid sultry moves and grinding backup dancers, the routine mirrored many elements of Britney's belly-dancing fiasco in the music video for I'm A Slave 4 U.
Jocelyn's mental struggles have been seen as a parallel to Spears' infamous public mental breakdown and subsequent journey to recovery.
Madonna's 1989 hit Like a Prayer can be heard during Jocelyn's first encounter with the manipulative cult leader and club owner Tedros. Later, the pair bond over their love for Prince's music, specifically his song, Purple Rain.
In episode 1 Tedros compares Jocelyn's singing to that of Donna Summer, but according to him, the difference is that when Donna sings, 'there's no doubt that she knows how to f*ck,' whilst Jocelyn is unconvincing.
Episode 2
Clearly, Tedros' comment about Donna Summer's singing stayed on Jocelyn's mind. In the second episode, we hear Jocelyn's vocals, with excessive moaning, that immediately brings both Britney’s I'm a Slave 4 U and Selena’s Birthday and Bad Liar to mind.
Jocelyn's music video shoot in the second episode is a nod to work by Ariana Grande and Halsey, in which their music videos feature the same moody, neon lighting, a large ensemble of dancers, and bright pops of color, which are all music director Hannah Lux Davis's trademarks.
Episode 3
Xander's idea to use Jocelyn's leaked image as her album cover is not original, and inspired by real pop stars who have used their album covers to respond to public criticism and address issues:
Taylor Swift's Reputation and Rihanna's Unapologetic are what come to mind, as well as Sky Ferreira's Night Time, My Time.
Episode 4
Episode 4 opens with The Weeknd's cover of John Lennon's 'Jealous Guy' which feels fitting for his character.
Jocelyn's song 'World Class Sinner' is given to Dyanne, and this is a common occurrence in the music industry, pointing to events a few years back where T-Pain detailed how the song 'R.E.M' went from him to Rihanna to Ariana Grande.
Mega Producer Mike Dean is name-dropped in previous episodes, and then appears as himself, complete with his bong, in Episode 4 to take charge of producing Jocelyn's single.