The Weeknd Praises Anitta, Talks About Their Collab

The choice of São Paulo, Brazil, to kick off The Weeknd‘s new tour was no coincidence. The Canadian singer — cover star of the 10th edition of Billboard Brazil — was in the city last October, performing at two sold-out nights at Allianz Parque with the show After Hours Til Dawn.

At the time, American producer Mike Dean (who has worked with Jay-Z, Lana Del Rey and Ye) asked Anitta for a vocal recording to complement the Canadian’s special performance set.

The result was beyond expectations: based on the material sent by the Brazilian, Abel Tesfaye — the singer’s real name — composed the song that became the centerpiece of the new concert. The album will be called Hurry Up Tomorrow.

“Anitta is a great friend. What she sent was so awesome that we created the song,” praises The Weeknd, in an exclusive interview with Billboard Brasil.

“We knew it was too special to just play on stage. We saw great potential in the song and found the beat, which is the heart of the show,” he explains.

Anitta says she has fulfilled a dream. “I wrote some verses as a joke and never imagined they would become serious. Suddenly, I received the finished song. I loved it! I felt very honored and flattered,” the singer tells Billboard Brasil.

“I’ve always been a big fan of his and his work. I never imagined this would happen, and now it’s a dream come true. It’s a little more Brazilian funk, as promised, around the world.”

This story appeared on Billboard U.S. after originally appearing on Billboard Brazil.