Tag: The Weeknd

Weeknd Leads Efforts to Support Victims of Devastating Fires

The Weeknd has generously donated $1 million to aid the ongoing wildfire relief efforts in Los Angeles. The fires, which began last week, have tragically claimed 24 lives and destroyed thousands of homes and buildings, with the number of casualties expected to rise.

In collaboration with the World Food Program USA and his XO Humanitarian Fund, The Weeknd’s donation will be directed to organizations including the LAFD Foundation, GoFundMe’s Wildfire Relief Fund, and the LA Regional Food Bank. The funds will help provide crucial support for those affected by the devastating blazes.

In addition to his financial contribution, The Weeknd decided to delay the release of his highly anticipated album Hurry Up Tomorrow, originally scheduled for January 24. The singer also canceled his upcoming January 25 concert at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena as a sign of respect and solidarity with the residents of Los Angeles.

On Instagram, The Weeknd shared a heartfelt message, stating, “The city has always been a profound source of inspiration for me and my thoughts are with everyone impacted during this time.”

Weeknd intends to retire his stage name following the release of his upcoming album.

The Weeknd is set to close a substantial chapter of his music career. The famous singer has announced that he will retire the Weeknd stage name after releasing an upcoming album, Hurry Up Tomorrow. The best news for fans is that he won’t stop making music; he’ll just stop using the name The Weeknd.

In this candid interview on January 10, released by Variety, The Weeknd justified why he intends to no longer represent himself as the emotive persona he has crafted all these years. “I’m closing the book on that version of my existence, The Weeknd,” he shared. “It’s a headspace I have to get into that I just don’t have any more desire for.”

The singer clearly indicated the typical pressures associated with such a highly public persona. “You’ve got your persona, but then you’ve got the competition part of it all. It becomes this rat race: more accolades, more successful, more shows, more albums, more awards, and more No. 1s. It never ends until you end it,” he declared.

While this event marks the farewell of his career under the name The Weeknd, he assured fans that music would continue as a new frontier outside all the expectations that his stage name carried.

The Weeknd honors horror actor Tony Todd

Everyone is mourning the death of Tony Todd, the “trailblazer” of hardcore horror around the world. That is how The Weeknd, an ardent fan, would describe the 69-year-old actor, who died Wednesday, November 6. Yesterday, news surfaced about that death: Today, the famous singer remembers the prolific actor.

Per Billboard, the Weeknd posted, “A trailblazer. Rest easy Tony Todd,” glorifying an image of Todd in his famous villainy on Instagram. Recognition struck Washington, D.C., the birthplace of Todd, with the Candyman franchise giving way to numerous roles and successes in a career.

The film will supliment Weeknd’s upcoming album

The Weeknd’s much-awaited psychological thriller Hurry Up Tomorrow comes under a distribution deal and now the film is expected to be rolled out in all theaters worldwide. Lionsgate announced Monday (November 4) it had nabbed the rights to the film which is also meant to be a visual add-on for the artist’s upcoming album of the same title.

This will be Abel’s first feature film role. Weeknd is set to work with Daniel Lopatin in creating the original score for the movie. The cast features Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan.

“Abel is a visionary whose art cannot be confined by any single medium,” Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson said in a statement. “With Hurry Up Tomorrow, in partnership with [director] Trey [Edward Shults], his musical universe expands onto the big screen with a psychological thriller that will usher in a new cinematic experience for fans. We are thrilled to be bringing it to audiences worldwide.”

Weeknd continues to expand his portfolio

The Weeknd adds another accolade to his highly decorated career after becoming the first Canadian artist to score seven RIAA-certified Diamond singles. Overall, he is the third artist in history with most Diamond singles after Post Malone and Rihanna.

Abel hit this milestone after his smash records “Save Your Tears” & “Die For You” reached the Diamond status, which means they’ve each sold 10m units.

Weeknd’s “Popular” alongside Maddona & Playboi Carti as well as “One Of The Girls” with JENNIE & Lily-Rose Depp also earned Platinum statuses.

Weeknd steps up his Spotify dominance

The Weeknd continues to prove he’s an unbeatable giant on Spotify. This week, the singer became the first artist ever to have two songs earn 3b streams each on the platform.

The culprit records are his monster hits, “Starboy” and “Blinding Lights.” The former was a title song for Weeknd’s 2016 album. The track reached No. 1 across eight countries including the US.

The latter was released as the second single off the Canadian crooner’s 2020 album, After Hours. It settled on top of the Billboard Hot 100 for four non-consecutive weeks.