Cover The Weeknd brings his multi-platinum discography to Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Stadium this October for the ‘After Hours til Dawn’ tour. (Photo: courtesy of Live Nation)
The Weeknd brings his multi-platinum discography to Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Stadium this October for the ‘After Hours til Dawn’ tour. (Photo: courtesy of Live Nation)
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Ahead of The Weeknd’s four-night run in Hong Kong, an analytical look at the joint releases that shaped his trajectory from underground R&B innovator to global pop headliner
Abel Tesfaye’s rise to global dominance is as much a study in strategic collaboration as it is in solo hitmaking. Across his career, joint records have served as crucial transitional markers—bridging his early dark, atmospheric R&B roots with Swedish pop machinery, French filter house and contemporary hip-hop.
As the four-time Grammy winner prepares to land in Hong Kong for his After Hours til Dawn shows at Kai Tak Stadium on October 24, 25, 30 and 31, these seven collaborations stand out for their sonic and stylistic craftsmanship, and charting impact.
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Drake featuring The Weeknd – ‘Crew Love’ (2011)
Above Built on pitch-shifted vocal samples and sub-bass, this record established the blueprint for early-2010s dark R&B.
Featured on Drake’s sophomore album Take Care, Crew Love introduced Tesfaye to mainstream audiences before he had released a commercial studio album. Tesfaye contributed as a writer and vocalist across several tracks on the project, establishing the dark, ambient Toronto R&B template that influenced early-2010s hip-hop.
- The soundscape: Built around sparse production, pitch-shifted vocal samples, and sub-bass drops. Tesfaye’s soaring falsetto dominates the first half, anchoring the track’s nocturnal atmosphere before transitioning into Drake’s cadenced rap verse.
Ariana Grande & The Weeknd – ‘Love Me Harder’ (2014)
Above Heavy synth stabs and a throbbing bassline highlight the precise vocal contrast between Grande and Tesfaye.
Serving as the fourth single from Grande’s My Everything, this track marked Tesfaye’s initial entry into mainstream Swedish-crafted radio pop. Co-written and produced by Max Martin and Ali Payami, the collaboration laid the groundwork for Tesfaye’s subsequent solo pop pivots.
- The soundscape: A mid-tempo synth-pop and electro-R&B hybrid featuring heavy synth stabs, a throbbing bassline and a dynamic vocal arrangement where Grande’s upper register contrasts against Tesfaye’s melancholic delivery.
The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk – ‘Starboy’ (2016)
Above The minimalist four-on-the-floor beat that solidified Tesfaye’s leap from indie R&B to global stadium headliner.
The lead single and title track of Tesfaye’s 2016 album, Starboy represented one of the final major production credits for French electronic duo Daft Punk before their 2021 disbandment. The single topped the Billboard Hot 100 and solidified his transition into stadium-level pop.
- The soundscape: Minimalist electro-pop driven by an understated four-on-the-floor beat, dark synth arpeggios, subtle vocoder layers, and a precise, rhythmic vocal delivery.
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The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk – ‘I Feel It Coming’ (2016)
Above Soft guitar stabs and layered vocoders provide a breezy canvas for Tesfaye’s effortless falsetto.
Closing out the Starboy album, this second pairing with Daft Punk offered a lighter counterpoint to the record's darker themes. It achieved multi-platinum status globally and earned critical acclaim for its classic disco-pop production.
- The soundscape: A warm, analogue-style disco-funk track characterised by soft rhythm guitar stabs, a fluid bassline, and vocoded backing harmonies reminiscent of late-1970s Quincy Jones production.
Lana Del Rey featuring The Weeknd – ‘Lust for Life’ (2017)
Above Hollywood noir aesthetics meet 1960s Wall-of-Sound production in this cinematic duet.
The title track of Del Rey’s fifth studio album, this release built upon a long-standing mutual influence between the two artists, following Tesfaye's features on her earlier material. It was Del Rey’s first official album single to feature a guest vocalist.
- The soundscape: Mid-tempo cinematic pop relying on 1960s Wall-of-Sound drum patterns, reverberating synth pads, and lush vocal layering that blends Del Rey’s contralto with Tesfaye’s tenor harmonies.
Swedish House Mafia & The Weeknd – ‘Moth to a Flame’ (2021)
Above The Swedish trio’s pulsing synths complement Tesfaye’s signature melancholic vocal delivery.
Released as a joint single between Swedish House Mafia and The Weeknd, the track served as a lead release for the electronic trio’s comeback album Paradise Again and was later added to Tesfaye’s Dawn FM (Alternate World) edition.
- The soundscape: A progressive house track structured around a driving, dark synthesizer loop, crisp electronic percussion, and a melancholic top-line melody tailored for both festival sound systems and radio play.
The Weeknd, Madonna & Playboi Carti – ‘Popular’ (2023)
Above A masterclass in crossover curation that gathered pop, R&B and rap’s finest.
Recorded for the soundtrack of HBO’s The Idol and co-produced by Metro Boomin and Mike Dean, Popular brought together three distinct musical generations. With 1.3 billion Spotify plays and counting, the single proved to be one of the era’s most enduring streaming hits.
- The soundscape: Anchored by a mid-2000s R&B groove, the track features staccato guitar plucks, a heavy swinging bassline, Playboi Carti’s rhythmic ad-libs, and a vocal trade-off between Tesfaye’s high-register hook and Madonna’s dry, spoken-style counterpoint.
Cyril Ip is the Features Editor at Tatler Hong Kong, where he shapes digital strategy, curates long-form features and drives trending cultural coverage across multi-platform digital experiences. He writes about culture, society and self-development. Having lived and worked across Hong Kong, mainland China and the UK, he brings a multifaceted background that spans media, music and publicity—including a four-year tenure as a culture and diplomacy journalist at the South China Morning Post.
