The Weeknd

The Weeknd Heads To Pandora In “Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)” Music Video

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The Weeknd’s returned with a set of visuals for his contributions to Avatar: The Way Of The Water.

The Weeknd dropped “Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)” in December. The song serves as the official theme song for the blockbuster hit, Avatar 2: The Way Of The Water. Today, he shared the official visuals nearly a month following the film’s release. Directed by Quentin Deronzier, the video captures the mysterious allure of Avatar while flashes of The Weeknd cut in between scenes. Though the singer isn’t necessarily the star, the music video bridges together his song and the film even more.

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 12: The Weeknd attends 20th Century Studio’s “Avatar 2: The Way of Water” U.S. Premiere at Dolby Theatre on December 12, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

The Weeknd explained how his contributions to the song felt like a full-circle moment in his life. When the first movie dropped, he was homeless and dropped out of high school without any certainty of where his future was heading. However, the film felt like “such an escape” from his real life. Additionally, Cameron specifically wanted The Weeknd to provide the soundtrack.

“It feels kismet and it’s a full-circle moment for me to be a part of something like this, because it is such an important film for me,” he said.

The Weeknd worked alongside Swedish House Mafia and James Cameron to bring the song to life. “The best part about writing the song was getting notes from James and making sure that all the lyrics and the tones fit the themes of the film. I think I rewrote the song maybe six times to make sure it was perfect, he said.

Check out the official video for “Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength).” Share your thoughts on his new single and video in the comments below.

[Via]

The Weeknd Continues His Record-Breaking Streak, As He Now Has The Most Monthly Listeners On Spotify

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The Weeknd keeps breaking record after record. Earlier this month, it was revealed that his hit single “Blinding Lights” was Spotify’s most streamed single of all time. Now, The Weeknd has broken Spotify’s record for most monthly listeners in the world.

As of now, The Weeknd currently has over 94.73 million listeners, a stat that was shared by PopCrave and retweeted by The Weeknd himself.

It’s no surprise that The Weeknd has raked in so many streams. Over the past decade, he has supplied us with several hits.

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, The Weeknd explained how a lot of his songs came together.

One of his breakthrough hits was “Earned It” from the motion picture soundtrack to 2015’s Fifty Shades Of Grey.

“The song in the film for Fifty Shades of Grey is just so sexy and sexual,” he said. “Working on this song was fun as well, but that felt a little bit more fun and loose, while [‘Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)’] felt a little bit more scientific.”

“Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)” is the theme for the 2022 film Avatar: The Way Of Water and was recently revealed to be on the shortlist for potential 2023 Academy Awards nominations.

“I feel honored to be part of that list,” he said. “Any kind of recognition for it feels like a blessing.”

The Weeknd Recalls How “Avatar” Helped Him Through “Darkest Time” Of His Life

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The latest Avatar film has sparked a wave of controversy, but The Weeknd remembers how the first film changed his life. Avatar: The Way of the Water has been at the center of backlash after production was accused of appropriating real-life Indigenous cultures and perpetuating racist stereotypes. As those conversations continue, The Weeknd has also been praised for partnering with Swedish House Mafia and composer Simon Frenglen to create the movie’s theme, “Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength).”

The Hollywood Reporter caught up with the House of Balloons hitmaker, and Weeknd explained how the original 2009 film changed him. “That was probably the darkest time of my life,” he said.

Read More: Indigenous Communities Bash New “Avatar” For Racist Stereotypes

The Weeknd recalled dropping out of school and being homeless. “I didn’t know if I was going to succeed as a musician.”

He further stated, “I didn’t know if I was going to be able to live to see tomorrow. And I remember I somehow got to see the film in theaters. I don’t know how I got in. It was such an escape from my real life that the film is tattooed in my brain.”

Within a few years, the Canadian icon’s life would shift as his career took off. When James Cameron reached out to The Weeknd to contribute to the soundtrack, it was a no-brainer. Now, “Nothing Is Lost” has been shortlisted for Best Original Song at this year’s upcoming Academy Awards.

Read More: “Avatar: The Way Of Water” Opens With $130M-$150M At Box Office

He additionally said, “They told me they had one name on the list to do the song, and it was me. It feels kismet, and it’s a full-circle moment for me to be a part of something like this.” It was “because it is such an important film for me.”

During the chat, THR asked The Weeknd about winning a Grammy for Kanye West’s “Hurricane.” That year, the singer didn’t submit his own music for consideration. His album After Hours was a record-breaking hit, but The Recording Academy previously snubbed the project and its singles.

“Again, I’m just grateful. Any kind of recognition, I’m grateful for it. I’m just happy to be in the conversation.”

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The Weeknd Revealed He’s ‘Been In The Studio’ Working On New Music Amid Oscars Buzz

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The Weeknd just celebrated the one-year anniversary of his fifth studio album, Dawn FM, but it looks like a new era may soon be upon us. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he revealed that he has begun working on new music.

“I’ve definitely been inspired,” he said. “I’ve been in the studio.”

Earlier in the interview, he shared that this bout of inspiration has been largely in part to being placed on the shortlist for the upcoming Academy Awards. His song, “Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength),” which was used as the theme for Avatar: The Way Of Water.

“I feel honored to be part of that list,” he said. “Any kind of recognition for it feels like a blessing.”

The original Avatar premiered in 2009, which The Weeknd said was a dark time in his life. At the time, he had dropped out of high school and wasn’t sure where his musical endeavors.

“I didn’t know if I was going to be able to live to see tomorrow,” he said. “And I remember I somehow got to see the film in theaters. I don’t know how I got in. It was such an escape from my real life that the film is tattooed in my brain.”

Landing his song in the second movie sure feels like a full-circle moment for the pop star.

The Weeknd Drops “Is There Someone Else?” Video to Celebrate ‘Dawn FM’ One-Year Anniversary

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The Weeknd is celebrating the one-year anniversary of the Dawn FM album by dropping the video for “Is There Someone Else?”

The new release dropped on Saturday, showing The Weeknd watching a woman dance through an apartment window.

At its debut at the top of 2022, Dawn FM made a Billboard debut at No. 2.

The new video arrives after The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” is continuing to break records. The single is officially the most streaming song of all time on Spotify. The achievement surpasses “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran.

The record was broken just ahead of New Year’s Eve, with The Weeknd hitting the timeline to celebrate with his fans.

The feat closes out a stellar 2022 for The Weeknd, who kicked off the year with the launch of his most recent album Dawn FM.

If you need a refresher on his “Blinding Lights” single, the video is available below.

The post The Weeknd Drops “Is There Someone Else?” Video to Celebrate ‘Dawn FM’ One-Year Anniversary appeared first on The Source.

The Weeknd’s Six-Year-Old Song ‘Die For You’ Has Cracked The Hot 100 Top 10 For The First Time Thanks In Part To TikTok

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Over the weekend, The Weeknd commemorated one year of Dawn FM with a video for “Is There Someone Else?.” Coupled with the video’s release was this tweet: “I wonder… Did you know you’re experiencing a new trilogy?” Before we walk with The Weeknd into an enticing future, there’s reason to revisit his past.

Billboard revealed its newest Hot 100 chart (dated January 14) today, January 9. It’s unsurprisingly that Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” has returned to No. 1 for a seventh total week after debuting there in late October, but it is surprising to see The Weeknd’s 2016 Starboy hit “Die For You” at No. 8 — which is now his 16th top-10 single on the chart.

“The Weeknd’s ‘Die for You’ vaults 26 to 8 on the Hot 100, led by 67.3 million in airplay audience (up 3%) and 9.9 million streams (up 10%),” the publication additionally relayed. “The song hits the Hot 100’s top 10 over six years after its original release on The Weeknd’s album Starboy, sparked by interaction on TikTok (which does not presently contribute to Billboard‘s charts). That buzz helped lead to the song’s airplay promotion and prominence, as the track holds at its No. 4 Radio Songs high.”

The Weeknd owns six career No. 1 Hot 100 singles, including the record-breaking “Blinding Lights” and “Starboy” (the latter featuring Daft Punk). Fellow Starboy track “I Feel It Coming” (also featuring Daft Punk) peaked at No. 4 on the chart.

“Die For You” isn’t the only The Weeknd song in this week’s Hot 100 top 10, either. His collaborative track “Creepin’” with Metro Boomin and 21 Savage, off of Metro Boomin’s December No. 1 album Heroes & Villains, sits at No. 6. It peaked at No. 5 last month.