"We saw great potential in the song and found the beat, which is the heart of the show" The Weeknd has pulled the curtain back on how his new collaboration with Anitta became the highlight of last weekend’s São Paulo concert. READ MORE: The Weeknd – ‘Dawn FM’ review: soulful star meets a new day with hope and hindsight The singer-songwriter – real name Abel Tesfaye – performed a one-off gig in Brazil on Saturday (September 7), where he debuted several new songs that are thought to be from new album ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’. Among them was a new track which is reportedly called ‘São Paulo’, for which he was joined by Brazilian pop star Anitta .
The Weeknd was last in the Brazilian city in October, performing at two sold-out nights at Allianz Parque as part of the ‘ After Hours Til Dawn ‘ tour. According to a new interview with Billboard Brasil , US producer Mike Dean had asked Anitta for a vocal recording to complement the special performance, but the feature exceeded expectations and The Weeknd composed a song that became the centrepiece of his new show. The artists have now revealed how they were able to pull off the huge moment.
“Anitta is a great friend. What she sent was so awesome that we created the song,” shared The Weeknd. “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 added. THE WEEKND X ANITA pic.twitter.
com/awLjS7zxli — Jasper (@Jasp3r_0) .