Doja Cat Pulls Out of the Weeknd Tour After Undergoing Tonsil Surgery
The Weeknd
Doja Cat Cancels Summer Tour Due To Upcoming Surgery
Doja Cat needs surgery on her tonsils. The “Get Into It (Yuh)” singer took to Twitter to say a doctor had to cut into her left tonsil because she had an abscess in it.
In a follow-up post, she said her tonsils got infected before the Billboard Music Awards earlier this month and she was taking medication for it, but she forgot and drank wine and vaped “all day long.”
READ MORE: Doja Cat Tops Billboard #Artist100 Chart For First Time
She said she’s now quitting the vape for a while. Doja Cat added she “might have bad news for her fans.”
Today she confirmed in another tweet that she has to have surgery on her tonsils asap and her recovery will cause her to cancel several shows including her tour with The Weeknd.
“I wanted you to hear it first. Unfortunately I have to have surgery on my tonsils asap. The surgery is routine but the recovery is going to take a while due to swelling. That means I have to cancel my festival run this summer as well as The Weeknd Tour. I feel horrible about this but can’t wait for this to heal and get back to making music and create an experience for y’all.”
The post Doja Cat Cancels Summer Tour Due To Upcoming Surgery appeared first on The Source.
The Weeknd’s ‘Dawn FM’ Returns To No. 1 On Album Sales Chart
The Weeknd’s Dawn FM is returning to No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart.
It’s the album’s second nonconsecutive week atop the chart after it reached the milestone on February 12th following the release of its CD version. Dawn FM also spent its first week at No. 1 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.
READ MORE: The Weeknd and Universal Music Group Announce Expansion of Joint Global Partnership
The recent peak is thanks to the release of a vinyl, cassette and boxed set version. It sold 44-thousand copies in the U.S. in the week ending May 5th.
The post The Weeknd’s ‘Dawn FM’ Returns To No. 1 On Album Sales Chart appeared first on The Source.
The Weeknd Praises Ariana Grande’s Production Skills: ‘That Woman Is A Beast On Pro Tools’
The Weeknd has been riding a wave of momentum since the January release of Dawn FM, but took a moment this weekend to reach further back into his past and offer praise to longtime collaborator Ariana Grande. “I’ve seen Ariana work in real time. That woman is a BEAST on pro tools,” he tweeted, piggybacking on talented producer Kenny Beats’ call for more discussion of women producers just several hours prior.
Weeknd and Grande have previously joined forces on the “Save Your Tears” remix, “Off The Table,” and “Love Me Harder,” so his familiarity with her abilities should come as no shock. The Positions artist is often just acknowledged for her vocal talent and acting career, thus learning she knows her way around Pro Tools as well only adds to her repertoire.
i’ve seen Ariana work in real time. That woman is a BEAST on pro tools https://t.co/o8S6IUwaDI
— The Weeknd (@theweeknd) May 1, 2022
Beats’ original tweet highlighted Grande’s knack at comping vocals with 100 stacks, Rosalía’s engineering, King Princess’ versatility with instruments, and Doja Cat’s production. King Princess expressed her appreciation for the recognition from someone of his stature, echoing the sentiment that women along with LGBTQ+ and POC artists are regularly overlooked when it comes to production.
love you @kennybeats and it’s rad to have people like you big upping people like us. It’s easy to forget that ARTISTS, and especially women, lgbtq+ and poc artists put work in at the studio and often get overlooked as producers.
— King Princess (@KingPrincess69) May 2, 2022
As women demand a larger presence in the music industry, it is important now more than ever to not box them in.
Best New Canadian Songs: The Weeknd, Daniel Caesar, Houdini
YSN Fab, “Wanna Know”
Dylan Sinclair, “Lifetime”
Sidhu Moose Wala f/ AR Paisley, “Love Sick”
Justin Bieber f/ Don Toliver, “Honest”
The Weeknd f/ Kaytranada, “Out of Time (Remix)”
Houdini and NorthSideBenji, “Repeat”
Daniel Caesar f/ BADBADNOTGOOD, “Please Do Not Lean”
Magi Merlin, “Pissed Black Girl”
Sarahmée f/ FouKi, “Quand la route est longue”
Aquakultre, “Don’t Trip”
Ardn, “Jupiter & Mars”
Portion, “Eastside”
The Weeknd and Universal Music Group Announce Expansion of Joint Global Partnership
The Weeknd, a global music phenomenon, has signed a broad, long-term relationship with Universal Music Group (UMG). The deal cements The Weeknd’s partnership with UMG’s Republic Records, his label home and partner since 2012, and will continue to be his label partner for future music releases.
Following the expiration of his existing commitment, Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) will handle all of his future compositions and songwriting portfolio in a new long-term arrangement.
The Weeknd & XO will continue to work closely with Bravado, UMG’s top brand management and merchandise organization, to build and develop global merchandising, branding, eCommerce, and retail licensing options for future projects and releases. In addition, the new deal covers future audiovisual initiatives with Republic Records and UMG.
Of the announcement, Sir Lucian Grainge, Chairman & CEO, Universal Music Group, said, “Over the past decade, we have been honored to work so closely with Abel who has quickly become one of music’s most creative and important artists—a once-in-a-generation talent. With Sal and the XO team as our incredible partners, we’ve developed a deep trust and respect that has enabled us to successfully execute Abel’s brilliant vision. I am delighted that we are now able to expand this special relationship, welcome this world-class songwriter to UMPG, and evolve this creative partnership to new and exciting levels.”
Wassim ‘SAL’ Slaiby – Founder, CEO SALXCO | XO Records, added, “Over a decade together says it all. Our relationship is built on trust, success, and family values. I am proud and excited to be beside Sir Lucian, Monte, Avery, Jody and the rest of the Universal family building our next decade together.”
The Weeknd’s most recent album, Dawn FM, released in January 2022 through XO/Republic Records, has continued his predecessor’s popularity, breaking the Billboard Global 200 chart record with 24 tracks charting in its first week, the most by any solo male artist. Following its surprise release, the album gained considerable acclaim and has already topped charts worldwide.
This summer, The Weeknd will embark on the After Hours Til Dawn stadium tour, which will kick off in Abel’s hometown of Toronto on Friday, July 8, at the Rogers Centre before hitting America for stops at Soldier Field in Chicago, Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, and more. The tour will wrap at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California. This is the first leg of The Weeknd’s massive world tour, with additional dates in Mexico, South America, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Africa & the Middle East on the way. During The Weeknd’s run across North America, he will be joined by Doja Cat.
The post The Weeknd and Universal Music Group Announce Expansion of Joint Global Partnership appeared first on The Source.
The Weeknd Expanded His Partnership With UMG To Include Publishing, Merchandise And Audiovisual Releases
Fresh off a massive headlining performance at Coachella, in which he was basically the only artist who could replace Kanye West after a last-minute cancelation, The Weeknd no longer has to prove his star power. The self-proclaimed Starboy (sorry, had to) is locked into a massive deal with Universal Music Group, who have doubled down on their partnership with the artist. Given his excellent new album, Dawn FM, and 2020’s massive release, After Hours, it’s not surprising that UMG now wants to partner with Abel Tesfaye on all “recorded music, publishing, merchandise and video.”
According to Variety, UMG will remain The Weeknd’s home for all things label-related, and take over his future music publishing rights once a deal with Kobalt expires. Universal’s merchandising arm, Bravado, will work with XO on “global merchandising, branding, ecommerce and retail licensing opportunities around future projects and releases.” Also, Republic and UMG will handle all future audiovisual projects. So basically, everything he might get into over the future course of his career.
UMG chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge said the following about the partnership: “Over the past decade, we have been honored to work so closely with Abel, who has quickly become one of music’s most creative and important artists—a once-in-a-generation talent. With Sal and the XO team as our incredible partners, we’ve developed a deep trust and respect that has enabled us to successfully execute Abel’s brilliant vision.”
The Weeknd Inks Multi-Faceted Deal With Universal Music Group
Diddy And The Weeknd Preview A New Collab In A Beats By Dre Commercial
A new Diddy and The Weeknd single may be on the way. Fans got a taste of new music in the latest Beats By Dre campaign. The new Made In LA commercial features NFL prospect Kayvon Thibodeaux as he walks through Los Angeles, trains, and runs drills on a field.
The commercial opens with a voice narrating anecdotes about Thibodeaux’s life. “He didn’t arrive just from nowhere,” the voice says, “We put a lot of prayer into that boy.” In the background, we hear The Weeknd crooning and humming, before the audio cuts to a verse from Diddy.
“All I am is a man with ambition to be the best / When I failed they just gave me the vision to see the rest / Wasn’t even ready when God gave me the test / So I pray you find love in the pieces of me that’s left,” raps Diddy.
The screen then cuts to show a pair of the new Beats Fit Pro headphones, from Beats By Dre, as The Weeknd sings, “Another one of me won’t come around.”
Neither a title nor a release date for the collaboration was revealed, however, it is likely the song will appear on Diddy’s upcoming album, Off The Grid, Vol. 1.
Check out the new Beats By Dre spot above.
The Weeknd’s HBO Series ‘The Idol’ Will Undergo An Overhaul As It Heads In A ‘New Creative Direction’
Last summer, a little over a year after he released his chart-topping fourth album After Hours, it was announced that The Weeknd would star in an upcoming HBO series called The Idol. The show would also be co-written and co-executive produced with Reza Fahim Euphoria creator Sam Levinson, with all three being listed as co-creators of the series. The Idol was revealed to be about a female pop singer who falls in love with an L.A. club owner who also leads a secret cult. While some were looking forward to the series’ release, they’ll have to wait a bit longer thanks to an announcement from HBO.
According to Variety, The Idol will undergo an overhaul due to the decision to head in a “new creative direction.” HBO shared a statement with the publication where it expanded on the new decision. “The Idol’s creative team continues to build, refine, and evolve their vision for the show and they have aligned on a new creative direction,” HBO said. “The production will be adjusting its cast and crew accordingly to best serve this new approach to the series. We look forward to sharing more information soon.”
HBO did not reveal what sparked the decision to head in a new creative direction.
The announcement comes after The Weeknd teamed up with Kaytranada for a new remix of “Out Of Time.”