The Weeknd is finally offering a glimpse into the next chapter of his career with a one-night-only concert streaming live on YouTube from São Paulo, Brazil.
The four-time Grammy winner plans to roll out a never-before-seen production in early September alongside performances of his biggest songs. The Weeknd, a.k.a. Abel Tesfaye, announced his streaming plans with a promotional trailer made with images generated by A.I. software.
WATCH | The Weeknd’s trailer for his upcoming September live stream:
Little is known about the concert or the Weeknd’s grander vision, though Tesfaye has teased the possibility of killing off his alter ego with the January 2024 announcement of a possible sixth album — and the São Paulo show trailer ends with an image of a grave-shaped portal. Since then, though, there’s been no new information, though the Weeknd did appear on three songs from the collaborative Metro Boom’ and Future album, We Still Don’t Trust You, which dropped in spring 2024.
The Weeknd’s São Paulo performance streams Sept. 7 at 8 p.m. ET on YouTube, with the option to buy merchandise through the platform. Organizers say 10 per cent of the proceeds from merchandise sales will go to the Brazilian Soul Fund, a branch of the BrazilFoundation that supports communities in the region affected by natural disasters and economic hardships.
The Weeknd is well known for supporting humanitarian relief: in January 2024, he donated money to help more than 1,000 homeless students in L.A.; in December 2023 he donated $2.5 million to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) for its humanitarian efforts in Gaza; and in 2021 he donated $1 million in food aid to Ethiopia, among other efforts.
In 2022, the 22-time Juno-winning musician received the Canadian Music Week Allan Slaight Humanitarian Spirit Award in recognition of his charitable efforts.