The Weeknd has debuted the energetic new single ‘Rio’, a collaboration with Anitta, at his concert in Rio De Janeiro on Sunday (April 26).
The award-winning artist, real name Abel Tesfaye, premiered the track at Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos during his record-breaking the South American leg of his ‘After Hours til Dawn’ tour, supported the Brazilian singer. He performed the song accompanied by an animated short film, directed by legendary horror filmmaker Takashi Miike
On stage, a line of dancers wearing red cloaks separated the two singers on the stage’s runway. Pyrotechnics lined the stage throughout the performance.
The Weeknd has collaborated with Anitta before, on the similarly themed 2024 single ‘São Paulo’. You can check out the clip shared on his official Instagram, and the official video, below.
The song mixes Latin American rhythms with a thumping bassline, while The Weeknd’s soft vocals promise: “I don’t care about all of your crimes/You don’t care about all of my vices/Dealing with the dangers in our lives/Turn it up, turn it up.”
The song is the first new music from the artist since last year’s ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’, which he hinted may be his last under The Weeknd stage name. NME’s four-star review described it as “a fitting – and intriguing – swansong”.
The ongoing ‘After Hours til Dawn’ tour, which began in 2022, has earned over $1billion (£740million), a record for a male recording artist. That figure was surpassed last winter, although it includes ticket sales from 2026 dates. The tour has passed 153 shows and 7.5million tickets sold.
Recently, streaming service Spotify celebrated 20 years by sharing the most streamed artists in its history. The Weeknd came fourth in the artists list, while his 2019 song ‘Blinding Lights’ topped the individual songs list.
