The Weeknd is hitting the blockchain. Tom Brady‘s co-founded NFT company Autograph and Billboard have just released a new limited NFT commemorating The Weeknd and his historic “Blinding Lights” Hot 100 achievement.
The 7-piece animated
NFT collection includes four designs: a 1-of-1 NFT featuring The Weeknd’s
November 2021 Billboard cover — which announced his Hot 100
achievement — as well as three trading cards inspired by the music video for
“Blinding Lights.” Each one is signed by The Weeknd.
“Through this collection, we’re excited to offer music fans a new, innovative format that allows them to engage further with our rankings and deepen their connection to an important milestone in music history,” Julian Holguin, president of Billboard, said in a statement. “The Weeknd’s NFTs capture the excitement that ‘Blinding Lights’ inspires, and music fans and collectors alike will gravitate towards these NFTs and be proud to own them for years to come.”
The collection was created in partnership with Tom Brady’s NFT platform, Autograph, as well as popular NFT marketplace OpenSea, and Karvin Cheung, a Billboard collaborator, trading card veteran and founder of The Infinite. The NFTs went up for auction on 20th December at 5 p.m. ET on OpenSea; the auction ends on 23rd December at 1 p.m. ET. Bids will be accepted in ETH. The Weeknd’s NFT collection is also available to view on Autograph; the singer-songwriter joined Autograph’s board of directors in the fall, and is helping launch its music vertical with his NFT collection.
Ahead of the NFT collection, The Weeknd and Billboard also marked the award-winning artist’s Hot 100 achievement with a “Blinding Lights” trading card collection featuring five different designs by Cheung. “It’s always been a dream of mine to create trading cards for the music industry, especially cards celebrating some of the world’s most renowned artists,” Cheung said at the time. “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to collaborate with Billboard to highlight The Weeknd’s milestone, which will undoubtedly play a role in defining the future of music.” The card packs, which launched on 23rd November, are available on shop.theweeknd.com.
Besides the “Blinding Lights” NFTs and cards, The Weeknd — who was named Billboard‘s No. 5 Greatest Pop Star of 2021 — is keeping busy with his musical endeavors. “Tears In the Club,” his collaboration with FKA Twigs, arrived on 16th December. Hours later on 17th December, “Poison” — his collaboration with Aaliyah for her upcoming posthumous album — made its debut.
The Weeknd has also been teasing that he’s got new music of his own coming up. During an October episode of his Apple Music 1 radio show Memento Mori, he revealed that his next album is done. Teased the artist: “Only thing that’s missing is a couple of characters who are key to the narrative — some people that are near and dear to me, some people that inspired my life as a child and some that inspire me now.”
A release date has
not yet been announced for the follow-up to After Hours.
