The Weeknd

The Weeknd And Future Divulge The Dirty Details Of Their ‘Double Fantasy’ In The First Taste Of Music From ‘The Idol’

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The first taste of HBO’s upcoming series The Idol is finally here. Tonight (April 21), The Weeknd and Future have teamed up for a sexy new single, called “Double Fantasy.”

Over a scorching beat featuring a seductive saxophone, The Weeknd channels his charismatic cult-leader character, Tedros, while sharing his dirty secrets.

“Temperature risin’, bodies united / Now that I trapped you in my arms / No need to fight it, no need to hide it / Now that I see what’s in your heart / Baby girl, I’m the only one who knows this side of you / And baby, you know that I can pull out what’s inside of you,” he sings, in what are probably the cleanest lyrics of the song.

Future kicks it up a notch with a verse of his own, detailing his duality, which is brought out by the woman of his affection.

“I sent you an envelope, came with a poem / You possess venom, that came with a charm / You get the good out me when I perform / I know the bad in you, that’s just what I want,” he raps.

The song’s accompanying visual features footage from The Idol.

In an interview with Interview, The Weeknd revealed his inspirations for The Idol‘s companion album.

“I’ve been inspired by The Wall and Purple Rain…But I want to take it to the next level,” he said. “I want to challenge myself and I feel like, as a musician, I’m the best I’ve ever been. But I have ADD. I can’t focus on just that. It’s like, how do I throw a wrench in it?”

You can listen to “Double Fantasy” above.

The Idol premieres June 4 on HBO. Episodes will be available to stream on Max.

The Weeknd, Future Drop Sultry New Track “Double Fantasy”

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The Weeknd has been actively promoting his new show The Idol and his single with Future, “Double Fantasy.” He recently announced on Instagram that the official music video for the song would be released along with the track itself. Abel then further piqued fans’ interest by sharing a clip of the video. It features Lily Rose-Depp, daughter of Johnny Depp, who is set to star in The Idol. In addition to this, the Weeknd is also planning to release an album based on the show that acts as its soundtrack. It seems like Abel is putting in quite a bit of work on the show and the accompanying music. But will it live up to expectations?

The entire press for The Idol has been kind of a mess. There have been very public disputes with Rolling Stone magazine. The extremely provocative and hedonistic subject matter of the show has caused controversy. The Weeknd, however, remains enthusiastic about the show and exploring the themes that the show embodies. He expressed his excitement about portraying his character, a cult-like leader named Tedros, explaining that he enjoyed the challenge of playing someone other than himself. Abel says that he drew inspiration from his own experiences to create the character.

Abel And Lily Rose-Depp Steam Up The Screen

In his typical fashion, Abel has made a sexy pop hit in “Double Fantasy.” Whether or not it is a good song is entirely subjective. However, what definitely can be said is that it is extremely reminiscent of everything The Weeknd has released in recent years. Coherence is good in an artist’s oeuvre, but how much is too much? If anything, it can probably be chalked up to the fact that this song was made specifically for a TV show. Therefore, it’s not something that should be taken seriously as part of The Weeknd’s “cannon.” Still, some fans may find themselves disappointed if they are expecting anything new from Abel this time around.

The lyrics on the song are very vague but overtly sexual in a way that Abel always seems to pull off. “You want me inside you / Beg me to slide in / No way we should have never met,” he croons. “Girl, when you ride it / See you decided /Don’t say those words that you’ll regret.” It feels like a shame not to mention Future’s feature on the song, but it almost feels like an afterthought. He does a great job with what he was given, but it doesn’t feel like a standout part of the track. What do you think of The Weeknd’s new song with Future? Let us know in the comments.

Quotable Lyrics:

Temperature risin’, bodies united
Now that I trapped you in my arms
No need to fight it, no need to hide it
Now that I see what’s in your heart

The Weeknd Teases “Double Fantasy” Video

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The Weeknd is making sure that people are aware and excited about his upcoming single with Future, “Double Fantasy.” Moreover, he just took to Instagram to announce the song’s official music video dropping on Friday (April 21) along with the track itself. His tease involved a short clip of presumably the music video on his Instagram page, which gives fans a lot with a little. Furthermore, it features Lily Rose-Depp as the star of their upcoming TV show “The Idol” from HBO. With an accompanying album based on the show on the way from Abel as well, it’s shaping up to be quite the event.

In fact, the entire rollout for this show has been quite the rollercoaster, from beef with Rolling Stone to its provocative and controversially hedonistic subject matter. However, The Weeknd is excited to explore those themes in a compelling way, per his cover story with Interview Magazine. “What drew me to play him was just getting to pretend to be someone else,” the After Hours star said of his on-screen, cult-leader-like character. “It was a challenge, because The Weeknd, obviously, isn’t me. But I drew a lot from myself to create that character. Tedros is nothing like me… Vulnerability is key in the characters you play, no matter how evil they are. If you can find the vulnerability in them, somehow they become likable.”

The Weeknd’s Small Glimpse Into “Double Fantasy” MV

Furthermore, The Weeknd revealed this single to listeners’ ears during his appearance at Metro Boomin’s Coachella set last weekend. Also during his interview with Interview, he spoke on how his work has always carried that somewhat mysterious, controversial aura. “I’ve been judged since the beginning. My stuff’s always kind of been provocative,” Abel Tesfaye remarked. “As an artist, you have to know that you can’t please everybody. You have to accept that it comes with the job.”

In addition, he revealed some of his inspirations for “The Idol,” specifically its accompanying soundtrack and original material. “I’ve been inspired by The Wall and Purple Rain and when Bowie was doing it,” the 33-year-old stated. “But even films like Shaft, the music is literally telling the story of the film. But I want to take it to the next level. I want to challenge myself and I feel like, as a musician, I’m the best I’ve ever been.” Let us know if you’re excited for “The Idol” down below and return to HNHH for the latest on The Weeknd.

Meek Mill Showed A Ton Of Love For The Viral AI Drake And The Weeknd Song Before Deleting His Tweet

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Meek Mill
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Earlier this month, “Heart On My Sleeve” circulated social media. It was an AI-generated track that paired Drake with The Weeknd. After going viral on DSPs, Universal Music Group requested it to be taken down. However, many were fooled.

Meek Mill was among the fans streaming the song, and he even praised it on Twitter. “This my 5th time banging this and it’s flame,” he wrote, according to HipHopDX. “We need new music from y’all 2.” The tweet has since been deleted.

UMG gave a statement to Billboard regarding their decision to take down “Heart On My Sleeve.” “The training of generative AI using our artists’ music (which represents both a breach of our agreements and a violation of copyright law),” they said, “as well as the availability of infringing content created with generative AI on DSPs, begs the question as to which side of history all stakeholders in the music ecosystem want to be on: the side of artists, fans and human creative expression, or on the side of deep fakes, fraud and denying artists their due compensation. We’re encouraged by the engagement of our platform partners on these issues – as they recognize they need to be part of the solution.”

Meek Mill is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

New AI Drake & The Weeknd Song Pulled From The Internet + How Can Artists Protect Their Sound?

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Drake and The Weeknd

After going viral, a song created by AI featuring the vocals of Drake and The Weeknd was removed from the internet. As technology continues to replace human talent, record labels are becoming increasingly concerned about the impact of AI on the music industry. After going viral, a song featuring the vocals of Drake and The […]

The post New AI Drake & The Weeknd Song Pulled From The Internet + How Can Artists Protect Their Sound? appeared first on SOHH.com.

The Weeknd Announces Release Date For “Double Fantasy” Ft. Future

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Following much anticipation, a release date has officially been set for The Weeknd and Future’s upcoming collaboration. The Toronto singer confirmed the single, “New Fantasy” from The Idol Vol. 1 would arrive on April 20th at midnight. The announcement follows The Weeknd’s live stream on Instagram on Monday where he teased the record during a session with Mike Dean. Some fans have already dubbed it as the most toxic song of the century and we’re inclined to believe that’s true, given their track record together.

Future and The Weeknd certainly aren’t strangers to one another. The two developed a strong rapport over the years. They initially collided on Mike Will Made-It’s “Drinks On Us” in 2015 but since then, they’ve joined forces on some of the best records in their respective catalogs. In 2016, they teamed up on Future’s “Low Life” from EVOL. Shortly after, Future returned the favor on The Weeknd’s “All I Know” off of Starboy. Hopefully, “New Fantasy” lives up to the hype of their previous work together. 

The Weeknd & Future Reunite

The new single will kick off the official campaign for The Weeknd’s upcoming series, The Idol on HBO. Though the series already faced setbacks, as well as the controversy surrounding the set and rewrites, The Weeknd and co-creator Sam Levinson are taking the show to Cannes Film Festival for its official debut. The Idol, which also stars Lily-Rose Depp, also landed an official debut on HBO Max on June 4th, 2023. We’re excited to see how this turns out when it debuts later this month.

During a recent interview with Interview Magazine, the singer explained that he wanted to dive into a new field outside of music. He explained that with his character Tedros, he’s able to tap into a different perspective. “What drew me to play him was just getting to pretend to be someone else. It was a challenge, because The Weeknd, obviously, isn’t me,” he said. “But I drew a lot from myself to create that character. Tedros is nothing like me… Vulnerability is key in the characters you play, no matter how evil they are. If you can find the vulnerability in them, somehow they become likable.”

The Weeknd And Future Will Reunite For ‘Double Fantasy’ Ahead Of ‘The Idol’

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With The Weeknd’s HBO series The Idol finally premiering soon, the promotion for the show has kicked into high gear. That means new music, and appropriately, the first single release from The Idol will reunite The Weeknd with his toxic twin Future. “Double Fantasy” is due for release this New Music Friday, perhaps giving us a glimpse at what the music for The Idol — which The Weeknd says is inspired by Prince and Pink Floyd — will sound like ahead of its premiere on June 4.

Future and The Weeknd first displayed their moody, anti-romantic chemistry on “Low Life” from Future’s 2016 album Evol and since then, fans have feverishly anticipated their collaborations. Also in 2016, they teamed up on “All I Know” and “Six Feet Under” from The Weeknd’s Starboy, while in 2017, they linked up again on “Comin Out Strong” from HNDRXX. “Double Fantasy” marks their first collaboration since then, so it’s sure to be one of the more talked-about releases of the (ahem) weekend.

The show it comes from has been similarly buzzed-about, but not always in a good way. Although its release is still months away, rumors of its troubled production and questionable content have fueled controversy online. It remains to be seen whether those rumors will amount to as much of a mess as it seems; for now, fans can look forward to seeing the responses from Cannes Film Festival, where it’s set to debut next month.

Meek Mill Praises AI-Generated Drake & The Weeknd Collab

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Artificial intelligence is coming for Drake’s job as more AI-Generated records continue to disperse across YouTube. This week, an AI-Generated record utilizing Drake and The Weeknd’s voices titled “Heart On My Sleeve” emerged online. Though it received a polarizing response, Meek Mill called the record “flames” before encouraging the former collaborators to reunite on wax. “This is my 5th time banging this and it’s flame,” he wrote on Twitter, along with the YouTube link. “We need new music from y’all 2.”

While Meek might have a point, the use of AI has created concerns in the music industry. “Heart On My Sleeve,” credited to an individual under the name Ghostwriter, appeared on DSPs and YouTube before they were removed. Per Complex, the original upload also confirmed that they were a ghostwriter for years “and ​​got paid close to nothing for major labels to profit.” Still, “Heart On My Sleeve” is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to AI-generated Drake songs. TMZ reports that two other singles replicating his voice, “Not A Game” and “Winters Cold,” began gaining steam on YouTube and TikTok.”

AI-Generated Drake & The Weeknd Song Surfaces

“Heart On My Sleeve” arrives just days after Drake finally reacted to the influx of AI-generated songs using his voice. Ice Spice’s “Munch” has apparently been a popular choice for testing out artificial intelligence. Versions with both Drake and Kanye West surfaced in the past week with the former acknowledging its uncanny resemblance to him. “This the final straw AI,” he wrote on his Instagram page last week.

Meanwhile, Universal Music took immediate action against Artificial Intelligence. The label issues a statement to the Financial Times, confirming that they’ve reached out to streaming services to uphold their “​​moral and commercial responsibility.” They said that they want Spotify and Apple to use technology to weed through the AI-generated records on their platforms. “We expect our platform partners will want to prevent their services from being used in ways that harm artists,” a spokesperson for UMG said. We’ll keep you posted on anymore updates surrounding AI. For now, check out Meek Mill’s tweet and let us know your thoughts.