The Weeknd had one hell of a show at the 55th Super Bowl, blowing the audience left and right. The Canadian singer preserved all the unnerving neon vibes of his global hit 2020 song “Blinding Lights.” And according to his manager, the chart-topping artist spent $7 million personally to produce the show in the way he wanted it to be! Now that's how you do the biggest sports event of the year!
On February 7th, 2021, the Canadian singer performed for 14 minutes at the 55th Super Bowl Halftime Show. According to Forbes, the show costs $20 million to produce, including The Weeknd's own money to transform the Raymond James Stadium in Florida.
Although not directly paid, The Weeknd still bags a million USD for every ad played during the show. In the past, Justin Timberlake and Beyoncé did not accept the paycheck for their performance in front of more than 100 million audiences.
The Weeknd's manager, Wassim “Sal” Slaiby, told Forbes: "The Super Bowl is a huge opportunity for any artist". Last year, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira's record sales rose up by 149% and 221% respectively, after the duo performed at the event.
Wassim “Sal” Slaiby said that The Weeknd had to pony up the extra cash. The Super Bowl Halftime Shows usually have a budget of roughly $10 million only, to make sure things were just right. “We’ve been really focusing on dialing in on the fans at home and making performances a cinematic experience, and we want to do that with the Super Bowl,” The Weeknd added.
The stage featured a continually changing scene, drawing inspiration from famous crime movies such as Casino (1995), Joker (2019), Uncut Gems (2019)... The Weeknd appeared in a convertible car and a red suit, similar to his look in the latest After Hours album released in early 2020.
The artist hired dozens of dancers, violinists, bringing his most iconic hits such as Starboy, The Hills, Can't Feel My Face, I Feel It Coming, Save Your Tears, Earn It, and Blinding Lights.
But, unlike his predecessors on the show, The Weeknd did not hire support artists. Last year, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira invited rapper Bad Bunny, Maroon 5 invited Travis Scott and Big Boi to their 2019 performance.
The Guardian commented that 55th Super Bowl Halftime Show is "The Weeknd solo". It allows the artist to unleash the most famous hits after 10 years in the business.
On social networks, colleagues and fans praised the singer's courage to sing for real, not using lip sync, or overriding techniques. Backstreet Boys' former star Nick Carter tweeted: "Thank you The Weeknd for delivering the performance the world needs at this moment."
The Weeknd, whose real name Abel Tesfaye, is a famous Canadian singer. He joined the music industry in 2010 and has sold over 100 million copies of his music worldwide. The singer won three Grammys, eight Billboard Awards, and an Oscar nomination. In 2020, he released his fourth album, After Hours, which was critically acclaimed by the public.
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