‘Vampire Diaries’ Season 8 Spoilers: Ian Somerhalder Used Michael Malarkey’s Music In Winter Premiere

It’s no secret that the cast of “The Vampire Diaries” is musically talented, but Michael Malarkey won’t just be strumming the guitar as Enzo in the winter premiere. Season 8, episode 8 will feature an original song the actor wrote.

Ian Somerhalder, who directed the hour, revealed that Malarkey’s song “Scars” fit perfectly into this episode. It will be used at the end of the midseason premiere for a montage, and the actor even recorded a special extended version just for “The Vampire Diaries.”

Somerhalder told Entertainment Weekly “Scars” was a great fit for the CW drama. “The song basically sums up a lot of what we’re seeing in the episode, and it timed up perfectly with the last five minutes of this episode, which is this really beautiful montage that interacts with and is sort of scored by this song,” the Damon Salvatore actor said.

Somerhalder added that he enjoyed getting to work with Marlarkey behind the camera. “It was really special getting to work with someone who is dear to me,” he said.

Fans of Marlarkey know that he has been playing music for a long time, and he isn’t just strumming the guitar when he is in character. “I have a guitar and amp and pedals in my dressing room, so sometimes in between scenes, if I have some time and am feeling it, I’ll sit and play, see what happens,” he told WYSO last month. “Actually, two of the songs off the new record were written in my dressing room between scenes.”

Malarkey’s new album is expected to be released this summer, and fans can track the album’s progress and pre-order it through his Pledge Music page. However, his single “Scars” will be available for download after the winter premiere airs.

Malarkey isn’t the first member of the “TVD” cast to contribute a song to the soundtrack. Kat Graham, who plays his love interest Bonnie, added a cover of Garbage’s “Only Happy When It Rains” to the “Vampire Diaries” soundtrack in Season 2. Both actors are expected to focus on music more after the CW drama ends in March.

The winter premiere of “The Vampire Diaries” Season 8 airs Friday at 8 p.m. EST on The CW.