The Weeknd

The Weeknd Wants To ‘Kill The Weeknd’

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The Weeknd Coachella 2023
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The Weeknd has been one of the most successful pop stars of the past decade-plus, but at some point soon, The Weeknd may be no more.

In a new feature for W, the singer, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, said, “I’m going through a cathartic path right now. It’s getting to a place and a time where I’m getting ready to close the Weeknd chapter. I’ll still make music, maybe as Abel, maybe as The Weeknd. But I still want to kill The Weeknd. And I will. Eventually. I’m definitely trying to shed that skin and be reborn.”

He also noted, “The album I’m working on now is probably my last hurrah as The Weeknd. This is something that I have to do. As The Weeknd, I’ve said everything I can say.”

Elsewhere, he spoke about letting his home be used for filming The Idol, saying, “The bedrooms were now greenrooms; the bathrooms were for hair and makeup. We built a music studio in the basement so Mike Dean, who helped compose, and I could score the show while we were filming. I had to stay in character, so I took my dog and we lived in another house. My home belonged to the show; it was a hub of activity. We were trying to blur the line between fiction and reality. We had cameras going all the time. It was weird when they all left. I changed all the furniture. I replastered the walls. But the soul of Jocelyn’s house is still in there.”

Check out the full feature here.

The Weeknd Reportedly Working On His Final Album

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The Weeknd might be finished making music… sort of. Next month, HBO will premiere The Idol, a new drama starring the singer. Ahead of the premiere, Abel has been making the rounds to promote the show. In an interview with W Magazine, he provided some pretty interesting information. For fans, it may be pretty upsetting. He hinted that his foray into film and television coincides with what he considers the end of his music career, at least in some aspect.

In the interview, Abel opened up about where his head is in terms of creativity. Having done so much under his moniker as The Weeknd, he feels he is ready for a new path. “I’m going through a cathartic path right now. It’s getting to a place and a time where I’m getting ready to close the Weeknd chapter,” he says. “I’ll still make music, maybe as Abel, maybe as The Weeknd. But I still want to kill The Weeknd. And I will. Eventually. I’m definitely trying to shed that skin and be reborn.”

Abel Never Thought He Had The Look For R&B

The Weeknd attends TheWeeknd Album Listening Event on August 26, 2013, in New York City.
(Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

The Weeknd is a globally renowned artist and has been for quite some time. He has long been known for creating some of the most dark and sensual music. His recent collaboration with Future in the song “Double Fantasy” is a perfect example of this. It may be difficult to imagine a time when Abel doubted his ability to fit into the R&B genre due to his looks. However, in a recent interview with Interview Magazine, he opened up about how he used to believe he didn’t fit the traditional mold of what an R&B artist was supposed to look like.

The Weeknd explained that he wanted to be deliberate in how he presented himself and his music. When he was younger, he believed that he wasn’t marketable, particularly for R&B, because he didn’t think he had the appropriate appearance. The Weeknd elaborated on how the conventional R&B look was very sexual. Although there were exceptions, he personally didn’t feel like he fit the mold. He wanted an unbiased response to his music, which was important to him. As such, he took a very mysterious approach to the look and feel of the music under the Weeknd moniker. What do you think of Abel’s suggestion that his next album as The Weeknd is the last? Let us know in the comments!

[Via]

The Weeknd Becomes Latest Investor In Senators Bidding War

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The NHL’s Ottawa Senators are up for sale after the death of long-time owner Eugene Melnyk last year. While the Senators are a team long associated with the NHL, the current iteration of the franchise existed since 1992. They have never won the Stanley Cup, losing 4-1 to Anaheim Ducks in their only appearance in 2007. Furthermore, the Senators have not qualified for the playoffs since 2017.

There are currently four major bids to acquire ownership of the Senators. One bid is led by healthcare mogul Michael Andlauer. Another is helmed by real estate moguls, the Kimel Family. Then there are two Hollywood bids. The first is fronted by Canadian-born actor Ryan Reynolds. Meanwhile, the other is spearheaded by producer Neko Sparks. Spark’s ownership group also includes The Rock and Snoop Dogg. There are also reportedly three other groups interested in purchasing the team. The non-binding deadline to submit a bid is May 15.

The Weeknd Joins Kimel Family Bid

INDIO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 21: The Weeknd performs with Metro Boomin at the Sahara tent during the 2023 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 21, 2023 in Indio, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Coachella)

Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd, was born in Toronto in 1990. According to a report from the Ottawa Sun, it’s The Weeknd’s Canadian roots and love of hockey that is getting him involved in the bidding war for the Senators. The Weeknd is reportedly joining the bid launched by Michael and Jeffrey Kimel. Sources told the Ottawa Sun that The Weeknd has agreed to a “commitment to be involved financially” with the Kimels’ bid.

“He’s going to be a great partner for Ottawa and the NHL,” a source close to The Weeknd said. “The team he works with grew up in Ottawa, so they know the market really well, but he’s the largest musician planet right now. He has the most views, the most streams and he’s a hockey guy.” The source continued, “He doesn’t like to be in the media very often so this really says something that he wants to be part of a bid. He wants to get this deal done, he wants to build something that will be great in Ottawa and he’ll be a good fit. He’s got a lot of connections worldwide.” It’s reported that NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is eager to have the sale completed by the end of the summer.

[via]

10 Essential Canadian Albums of the Blog Era

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Image via Complex Original

  • Skratch Bastid/John Smith/Pip Skid, ‘Taking Care of Business’


  • Wordburglar, ‘Burglaritis’


  • Shad, ‘The Old Prince’


  • Cadence Weapon, ‘Afterparty Babies’


  • Drake, ‘So Far Gone’


  • D-Sisive, ‘Jonestown’


  • The Weeknd, ‘House of Balloons’


  • Noah23, ‘Fry Cook on Venus’


  • Various, ‘Piu Piu Beat Tape Vol.1’


  • Dead Obies, ‘Montreal $ud’

The Weeknd Is Launching A New Coffee Line This Month And It Honors His Mother And Heritage

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The Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye) has announced a new Samra Origins coffee brand through a partnership with Blue Bottle Coffee. Named after his mother, Samra, he intends to honor his Ethiopian heritage and the role coffee plays in the country.

“Ethiopian culture is an important part of my identity and I’m proud to work alongside the Blue Bottle Coffee team to shine a light on Ethiopian traditions, values, and of course, coffee,” Tesfaye shared in a press statement. “Growing up, I watched my mother perform Buna Tetu, a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony. This sensory experience helped shape my understanding of community and taught me to always honor my roots.”

“Samra Origins is a true passion project of mine that Blue Bottle matched and understood as we developed the products together. I hope the result ignites curiosity about Ethiopia’s people and motivates others to give back to communities in need,” he added in a separate statement to Billboard.

Tesfaye and his mom worked with Blue Bottle’s head of innovation and quality, Benjamin Brewer, to taste and develop a specific, high-quality coffee flavor profile — including “fresh fruit and bright florals,” per the publication.

Blue Bottle Coffee will also be donating to his XO Huminatiarian Fund, which provides hunger assistance to those across the globe.

Fans will be able to buy limited-edition bags of Samra Origins for $65 starting next Tuesday (May 9). More information can be found here.

The Weeknd Concerns Fans With Cryptic Tweet

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The Weeknd left fans shook this morning. Even though he maintains a mysterious presence in the public eye and often carries that persona online, he left a cryptic message on his Instagram page that left fans quite concerned. “Goodbye Earth,” he wrote without a follow-up. Fans flooded the replies with well wishes, concerns, and jokes. However, it doesn’t seem like fans picked up on the fact that “Goodbye Earth” is actually a song on Mike Dean’s album 4:23, which the Weeknd executive produced. 

Dean and The Weeknd’s collaborative track record together expanded further on 4:23. Along with serving as an executive producer with the legendary producer, he also has four credits on the project: “Artificial Intelligence,” “Defame Moi,” “More Coke!!!,” and “Emotionless.” Prior to this record, Mike Dean contributed to the production on The Weeknd’s new single, “Double Fantasy” ft. Future, alongside Metro Boomin. Hopefully, this is an indication that Mike Dean will be far more hands-on with the Canadian singer’s follow-up to Dawn FM. 

The Weeknd Preps The Idol

The Weeknd is currently gearing up for the release of his upcoming HBO series, The Idol, as well as its accompanying soundtrack that Mike Dean will be contributing to. The series is set to debut at the Cannes Film Festival this month before debuting on HBO Max on June 4th. The show, co-created by the Weeknd and Euphoria’s Sam Levinson, follows the story of a budding pop star who gets caught up with a self-help guru/cult leader, played by The Weeknd. Hopefully, it doesn’t disappoint after all the controversy and hype surrounding the series.

The Weeknd is undoubtedly making strides these days, between the influx of music and his budding acting career. In March, the Guinness World Record officials declared the pop star as “the most popular artist,” weeks after reaching the 100M monthly listener mark on Spotify. Combined with the success of “Die For You (Remix)” ft. Ariana Grande shot to the top of the Hot 100, the Guinness World Record explained that his streaming numbers boosted significantly across the globe to earn this title. Check out The Weeknd’s tweet above. 

Mike Dean Drops “4:23,” Executive Produced By The Weeknd

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Earlier this week, Mike Dean announced that his new album 4:23 was dropping soon. The album is the third in his numbered series, following 2020’s 4:20 and 2021’s 4:22. Dean is a famed hip-hop record producer who has worked with the biggest names in the industry. Among his clients are Beyonce, Drake, Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Madonna, Lana Del Rey, and more. He has also worked extensively with The Weeknd, including playing a part in the star’s new collab with Future, “Double Fantasy.” The single is from the soundtrack from Abel’s new HBO show, The Idol. As such, it is likely that Mike Dean also played a hand in producing the rest of the soundtrack with The Weeknd. “There’s a whole album. I’m not shying away from making music. It’s just adding another element to my already crowded schedule,” Abel said of the new soundtrack.

In order to announce the new album from Mike Dean, Abel took to social media. “New @therealmikedean 4:23 album co-executive produced by me dropping this week,” The Weeknd tweeted. Very few details about the album were revealed before its release. Being that it was announced just several days beforehand, it’s no surprise.

Mike Dean’s Wonderland of Dreamy Synths

On 4:23, Mike Dean welcomes you into his weird, dreamy world of analog synths. Even as far as electronic music goes, much of this album is not for the faint of heart. The Weeknd has some great guest vocal spots, but much of it is simply synthesizer madness. There are some standouts, however, particularly on some of the songs with Abel. Perhaps the best song on the album is “Artificial Intelligence.” It would fit very well into The Weeknd’s oeuvre, so it makes a lot of sense that he features on it.

“You can have me on my knees / Like I was about to break / Idolizin’ at your feet / Know that you are so far away,” Abel sings on the track. “I will travel overseas / Join hearts in another place / I’ll do all to compete / Emotionless.” He gives a very strong, emotional performance over Mike Dean’s space production. The album does lose its way at certain points, but there will always be plenty of good production to reel listeners back in. “118k” is one of the weaker tracks, but the distorted, weaponized feedback that comes on immediately after in “Earth To Michael” makes it impossible to stop listening.

Tracklist:

  1. Once Upon a Time
  2. Artificial Intelligence
  3. Defame Moi
  4. More Coke!!
  5. Music for the Future
  6. Rewind Life
  7. Goodbye Earth
  8. Hello Space
  9. Mechanical Tarantula
  10. 118k
  11. Earth To Michael
  12. Emotionless
  13. Electric Sheep