Billboard Article

XO

“Our producer Ali Gatie is Iraqi. M.I.A. is Sri Lankan, Nav is Indian, Abel is Ethiopian, Belly is Palestinian, I’m Lebanese,” says Slaiby. “Cash is Persian. La Mar is Jamaican. SALXCO executive vp Lindsay Unwin is Canadian. You’ve got the United Nations over here. That’s how it’s been for almost 20 years.”

After Hours Tour Update

Public health permitting, he’ll set out on a 2021 summer/fall tour that has already nearly sold out six dates and is on track, Billboard estimates, to average $1.2 million to $1.4 million per show. “Is the tour going to be the After Hours tour still? Is it going to be this new album’s tour, with the same tickets?” Tesfaye wonders aloud. A year from now, he says, the man in the red jacket won’t be around — though maybe he’ll make an appearance for a few songs on tour. “It’s a whole puzzle I’m trying to wrap my head around right now.”

On the Super Bowl

Slaiby adds that, though the organizers are as usual covering all production costs, Tesfaye put up $7 million of his own money to “make this halftime show be what he envisioned.”

Abel on the Grammy's

“I use a sucker punch as an a***ogy,” Tesfaye says today. “Because it just kind of hit me out of nowhere. I definitely felt ... I felt things. I don’t know if it was sadness or anger. I think it was just confusion. I just wanted answers. Like, ‘What happened?’ We did everything right, I think. I’m not a cocky person. I’m not arrogant. People told me I was going to get nominated. The world told me. Like, ‘This is it; this is your year.’ We were all very confused.”
“Look, I personally don’t care anymore,” says Tesfaye, sounding 90% at peace and 10% like maybe he still cares a little bit. “I have three Grammys, which mean nothing to me now, obviously. It’s not like, ‘Oh, I want the Grammy!’ It’s just that this happened, and I’m down to get in front of the fire, as long as it never happens again.

need to step my suit game up

cash glow up

Our producer Ali Gatie is Iraqi. M.I.A. is Sri Lankan, Nav is Indian, Abel is Ethiopian, Belly is Palestinian, I’m Lebanese,” says Slaiby. “Cash is Persian. La Mar is Jamaican. SALXCO executive vp Lindsay Unwin is Canadian. You’ve got the United Nations over here. That’s how it’s been for almost 20 years.”

24 mins of superbowl

They’ve guided him to statement-making career highs, like his upcoming 24-minute halftime performance at the Super Bowl on Feb. 7 — a “Rubik’s cube of problems,” as Taylor puts it, that took six months of Zoom calls and email chains to sort out. They talk every day, play basketball twice a week and spend holidays together.

weeknd about to shut it down

Abel had a bad management deal before Sal and Cash

where’s NAV

clean

Abel has the industry by the balls

When an Australian promoter offered a $160,000 gig, they passed on it and others like it, opting instead to play clubs around Canada. “I knew how important it was to build the touring business,” says Esmailian. “At that point, we could have gone to step four or five, but I knew we had to start at step one. We were doing 500-person venues, but there were 2,000 people outside trying to get in.”

When major labels inevitably started circling, that groundswell became leverage. Among those interested were Republic Records co-founders and brothers Monte and Avery Lipman. “They came to Toronto, like, 10 times,” says Esmailian. “These guys are not running a small company — and going to Toronto, you’ve got to deal with customs — but they just kept showing up.”

A 24-minute Superbowl performance for the history books?
Yeah, f*** the Grammys.

Never say the guy doesn’t have love for the craft, btw.

(On the Super Bowl) Slaiby adds that, though the organizers are as usual covering all production costs, Tesfaye put up $7 million of his own money to “make this halftime show be what he envisioned.”

“I don’t know what it feels like to lose money if I never had it. Even to this day with the label, it’s like, ‘Guys, I will put my own money into this music video. It’s happening.’ ”

7 mil god damn

what a f***ing guy man

“Is the tour going to be the After Hours tour still? Is it going to be this new album’s tour, with the same tickets?” Tesfaye wonders aloud. A year from now, he says, the man in the red jacket won’t be around — though maybe he’ll make an appearance for a few songs on tour. “It’s a whole puzzle I’m trying to wrap my head around right now.”

El patrón Abel

GOD DAMN

a glo

FAMILY BUSINESS

STAY TRUE TO YOUR DAY 1s

great read, what a journey these guys have had, and it only feels like they've just started

Holy s*** this is an insane W

Mad inspirational