The Weeknd Experience: A Groundbreaking XR Music Event on TikTok

Presented by TikTok, XO/Republic, and Wave, the XR music experience was a groundbreaking event that combined immersive visuals, a special guest appearance, and a charitable cause. The Weeknd Experience, an interactive XR broadcast, was hosted on TikTok LIVE on August 7th, with rebroadcasts on various TikTok channels until August 10th. This livestream set a new record on TikTok, attracting over 2 million views and peaking at 275,000 concurrent viewers. The hashtag #TheWeekndEXP generated over 1.3 billion video views.

Isabel Quinteros, TikTok's Senior Manager of Music Partnerships & Artist Relations, expressed the platform's commitment to providing unique ways for fans to engage with their favorite songs. The Weeknd Experience successfully transformed Abel's music into an immersive and interactive world, serving as a form of entertainment and appreciation for the TikTok community's support during the pandemic.

The Weeknd Experience was created in collaboration with Wave, a leader in interactive virtual entertainment experiences, and presented by XO/Republic Records. It captivated fans with state-of-the-art visuals and an immersive presentation of The Weeknd's music, including highlights from his highly-streamed R&B album, After Hours. Adam Arrigo, CEO of Wave, highlighted the limitless virtual opportunities that this partnership provided for The Weeknd and his fans. TikTok, being the home for the next generation of concert-goers, was the perfect platform to host this virtual event.

Appearing as a digital avatar, The Weeknd performed popular hits like "Blinding Lights" (which trended on TikTok) and even welcomed special guest Doja Cat for a remix of "In Your Eyes." The interactive nature of the experience allowed The Weeknd to engage with fans through comments and guide the visual theme based on their votes.

After Hours, The Weeknd's album, achieved great success by topping the Billboard 200 for four consecutive weeks and being declared the biggest album of the first half of 2020 by Rolling Stone. The song "Blinding Lights" gained immense popularity on TikTok, inspiring over 1.5 million video creations and reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In addition to providing an unforgettable experience for fans, The Weeknd Experience also raised $350,000 for the Equal Justice Initiative through the sales of a limited-time Weeknd x TikTok merchandise collection. The Equal Justice Initiative is dedicated to combating mass incarceration, challenging racial and economic injustice, and protecting the rights of vulnerable individuals in American society.