The Weeknd
The Weeknd Speaks Out About Grammy Snub, Recording Academy Chief Responds
Source: ABC / Getty After officially announcing the nominees for the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, the conversation among fans, critics, and industry insiders has circled around one notable absence —The Weeknd. On Tuesday (Nov 24), the National Recording Academy received an onslaught of tweets from fans and celebrities inquiring about a few of 2020’s most notable albums, including projects by Lil Baby among many others, but when it came to the snubbing of one of this year’s biggest artists, many artists and fans alike are asking “what happened?” Earlier this year, the Canadian-bred singer released his highly anticipated album, After Hours, unleashing one of 2020’s biggest commercial success stories, with more than 1.8 billion streams to date. Its second single, “Blinding Lights,” became a blo...
The Weeknd Rips ‘Corrupt’ Grammys After Award Show Snub
Another year, another Grammys controversy. Now that the entire internet has spent the better portion of the day discussing all the ways in which The Weeknd was snubbed by the Grammys, the artist himself chimed in with his thoughts on the matter. “The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency…” he tweeted on Tuesday evening. Although his accusations of direct corruption are difficult to verify, the Canadian singer is certainly justified in his vitriol. In what was such a glaring mishap that Macklemore trended on Twitter for much of the afternoon due to fans remembering the time he beat Kendrick Lamar to win Best Rap Album in 2014, The Weeknd’s After Hours was seemingly absent from the nominees released today despite being one of the year’s bigg...
The Weeknd Announced as Super Bowl LV Halftime Headliner—Fans Call for Daft Punk Appearance
The rumor will is swirling around The Weeknd’s momentous Super Bowl LV performance. Could Daft Punk be joining The Weeknd at Super Bowl LV? After the three-time Grammy Award-winning superstar was announced as this year’s Super Bowl halftime show headliner, EDM Twitter immediately plunged into a rabbit hole of rumors and pipe dreams. The announcement induced a deluge of calls for The Weeknd to bring out the legendary electronic music duo during his performance. Daft Punk features on two of The Weeknd’s most popular tracks, “Starboy” and “I Feel It Coming.” Many EDM fans are also calling for The Weeknd to tap another iconic French dance music act, who also happens to have released two collaborations with the pop and R&B supers...
Starboy: The Weeknd Will Be Headlining The Super Bowl Halftime Show
Source: Derrick Salters/WENN.com / WENN One of the most watched sporting specials is about to be even more special in 2021. The Weeknd has been confirmed to perform at the National Football League’s championship game. As spotted on Huffington Post the man born Abel Makkonen Tesfaye will the main talent at the 2021 Super Bowl. On Thursday, November 12 he took to social media to make the formal announcement. “performing on the iconic stage. see you 02/07/21 @pepsi #pepsihalftime #SBLV” he wrote. The visual is a side profile of the singer songwriter wearing a suit with leather accents throughout. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Weeknd (@theweeknd) He detailed his enthusiasm in a formal statement. “We all grow up watching the world’s biggest acts playing the...
The Weeknd to Headline Super Bowl LV Halftime Show
The Weeknd’s big year will continue into 2021. On Thursday, it was announced that the Weeknd would be headlining the Super Bowl LV halftime show, which will take place on Feb. 7, 2021 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The event is produced in collaboration with Pepsi, the NFL, and Roc Nation. Jay-Z is the NFL’s live music strategist. “We all grow up watching the world’s biggest acts playing the Super Bowl and one can only dream of being in that position. I’m humbled, honored and ecstatic to be the center of that infamous stage this year,” The Weeknd said in a statement. “The Weeknd has introduced a sound all his own. His soulful uniqueness has defined a new generation of greatness in music and artistry,” said Shawn JAY-Z Carter. “This is an extraordinary moment in tim...
The Weeknd Finds a New Body in Bloody ‘Too Late’ Video
It’s been a big year for the Weeknd. His latest album, After Hours, hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200. He took home all of the big awards at the VMAs in August and if that wasn’t enough action, he starred in and wrote an episode of American Dad. After sharing videos for “In Your Eyes” and “Snowchild,” the artist has dropped another one titled “Too Late.” The video starts off with a pair of sisters who had plastic surgery and on the drive home, find the Weeknd’s head in the middle of the street. They start doing weird things with it before the clip takes a violent turn. Check it out below. [embedded content] Last week, the Weeknd shared a remix of “In Your Eyes” where he teamed with none other than Kenny G. for the jazzy version. He’s also unleashed a remix of “Money Power Glory” fea...
The Weeknd Teams With Kenny G for Jazzy ‘In Your Eyes’ Remix
The Weeknd’s “In Your Eyes” is already pretty popular on fans’ playlists. But on a new remix of the track, he sprinkles in some smooth jazz feels featuring none other than Kenny G. After the two performed together at TIME100 last month, the Weeknd just couldn’t help but release the new jazzier rendition. And you know what? It works! “In Your Eyes” is off his latest album, After Hours. Aside from “In Your Eyes,” the Weeknd also previously dropped the title track, “Scared to Live,” “Snowchild” and “Blinding Lights,” which performed at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards. To celebrate the new LP, he also released an accompanying film. And in June, the Weeknd also made a $1 million donation to COVID-19 relief efforts that included MusiCares and funds given directly to the front-line hospital wo...
Saturday Night Live: 20 of Biggest Breakthrough Musical Performances Since 2000
Saturday Night Live is back! The late-night sketch comedy returns to NBC for the start of its 46th season on Saturday. After spending half of last season shooting at-home episodes due to the pandemic, promos for the show have revealed the cast is back at 30 Rock’s Studio H8 and ready to put on a show. Former SNL cast member Chris Rock (’90-’93) will host the season premiere, which also features the debut performance of hip-hop’s woman of the moment – Megan Thee Stallion. Over the years, the long-running late-night series has featured some iconic performances, usually bringing in artists at a pivotal moment in their career and giving them a legendary platform to transfix America. And so, in that spirit (and because it’s 2020), SPIN looks back at some of the biggest breakthrough pe...
Watch Calvin Harris Deconstruct His Song With The Weeknd, “Over Now”
As Calvin Harris and The Weeknd‘s collaborative single “Over Now” continues its ascent up the charts, Harris has offered a one-of-a-kind glimpse into the song’s creation. The Grammy Award-winning DJ and dance music producer shared a video in which he deconstructs the track, offering a glimpse into the creative process of one of contemporary music’s most successful record producers. Locked down in a gorgeous music studio with enough keyboards to stock up a Best Buy, Harris walks through each element of “Over Now,” including the keys, guitar, and drum programming, and he also isolates The Weeknd’s vocals in a neat display of vocal processing. A highlight of the video is when he uses a Roland Devil Fish TB-303 synth to show how he made...
Megan Thee Stallion, Kamala Harris, BLM Founders & More Named ‘Time’ 100 Most Influential People
Source: Time / Time Time’s highly-coveted 100 Most Influential People List is out, and it’s infused with melanin, and WE LOVE TO SEE IT. Despite 2020 currently taking on us one of the wildest rides in recent memory, Time still managed to find 100 of the world’s most influential people. As with previous years, the iconic publication highlighted well-known names in tech, music, sports, television, film, politics, and science breaking them up into categories. This year is even more special because it also honored the medical professionals currently on the frontlines battling COVID-19 and the people now fighting for social justice. As with each year, the individuals honored are profiled by another celebrity or high-profile individual. Kicking things off is Megan Thee Stallion, profiled by Tara...
Nigerian doctor named one of TIME’s Most Influential People in the world
TIME named Nigerian physician Tunji Funsho to the 2020 TIME100, its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. The full list and related tributes are available now at time.com/time100, and Mr Funsho’s TIME100 profile is available here. The list, now in its seventeenth year, recognizes the activism, innovation and achievement of the world’s most influential individuals. Mr Funsho, a cardiologist based in Lagos, Nigeria, is the first Rotary member to receive this honour for the organisation’s work to eradicate polio, having played an essential role in ensuring Africa’s certification as wild polio-free in August of 2020. “I’m honored to be recognized by TIME for my part in ensuring that no child in Africa will ever again be paralyzed by wild polio, a disease that once disabl...
A Collaboration Between DJ Snake and The Weeknd Could Be on the Way
A new collaboration between DJ Snake and The Weeknd could be on the horizon. According to a report by Sada El-Balad, the two artists are set to appear on a forthcoming album by iconic Algerian singer Khaled. While details of the album are scarce, sources say the tracklist will feature 12 songs. Pouring gasoline on the rumor of a collaboration with the Grammy Award-winning R&B and pop superstar, DJ Snake retweeted a post from a fan, who wrote, “If only [DJ Snake] and [The Weeknd] could announce a collab.” Considering the innumerable number of Twitter mentions he receives from his 1.6 million-plus followers on the platform, the fact that he chose to share this specific post is emblematic of an impending announcement. The retweet could also be a red herring, but taki...
