Canadian chart topper The Weeknd appeared to abandon the Christian faith of his childhood. But could his plea for “mercy” on his most recent record mark a return to God?
The Weeknd is a megastar. According to the Guinness Book of Records, the artist otherwise known as Abel Tesfaye holds the record as the first artist in history to reach 100 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
This makes him, statistically speaking, the most popular artist in the world.
Faith background
Born in Toronto, Canada, as the only child of Ethiopian immigrants, he told Variety his upbringing was “very religious”.
His ties to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church were made evident when he donated $50,000 to St Mary Cathedral in Toronto, in 2016 (reportedly the same church he attended as a child).
However, his links to faith seemingly diminished as the years and his career progressed.
When asked if he still considered himself religious in the same Variety interview, his response was simply, “I dunno.”
Give me mercy
And yet fans have good reason to suspect The Weeknd maybe coming back to the faith of his childhood. His music often contains religious themes but new song, ‘Give Me Mercy’ the 17th track on his recently released sixth studio album, Hurry Up Tomorrow, is perhaps his most explicit expression of faith thus far.
In the song, he lays bare a fall into the devil’s temptations, losing his way and ultimately a pleads for mercy and forgiveness. At the end of the second verse he delivers a desperate confession “I’d give it all away just to feel your grace.”
Even the slightest indication that God is moving in someone’s life is to be viewed with optimism
It could mark significant change in his behaviour and beliefs. The Weeknd previously attracted the attention of Christians after he was accused of conducting Satanic rituals at his shows. This was, on occasion, pretty blatent. During a 2017 show in Copenhagen, for example, the word Satan flashed very briefly on the venue’s electronic board behind him (see 3:17 on this video).
But by 2020, he was releasing songs that vocalised the life of a man on the other side of this journey back to God.
‘Faith’, captures a man who has abandoned his spiritual foundation, consumed by vice and excess. He sings: “I choose Vegas if they offer Heaven’s gate” an explicit offering into the mindset of a man succumbing to the world and denying the faith he was raised in.
Speaking about this song, he shared, “It’s about the darkest time of my entire life”. He reflected on the version of himself in this song as “the heartless guy, the drug monster, the person who hates God and is losing his f****** religion and hating what he looks like when he looks in the mirror so he keeps getting high, and hating to be sober”.
The Weeknd’s evolution from the person who lived the life sung about in ’Faith’ to the man now singing ‘Give Me Mercy’ is mirrored in other areas of his life. The Weeknd once conceded in an interview with The Guardian that drugs performed the function of a ‘crutch’ in his life, admitting an indulgence in practically every hard drug you could name. Today, he refers to himself as “sober lite” admitting an occasional use of marijuana and alcohol.
New strength
Speaking to BET, the singer made his most explicit proclamation of faith just last year. Speaking in regard to his struggles with anxiety he shared that he finds strength in his faith. “I think about giving up every day. But I also find purpose every day,” he said, adding, “My relationship with God is stronger than ever.” He continued, “I find comfort in his presence when I need it most. I talk to him constantly. It’s been a long journey, but I’m here.”
To once have lived in a mindset that favoured a place renowned as ‘Sin City’ over the heavenly gift of salvation, The Weeknd’s evolution is one of promise.
Though unclear whether ‘Give Me Mercy’ serves as a definitive turning point or the latest installment of a vocalised, ongoing spiritual battle, it is evident that his faith is no longer something he is seeks to deny or avoid. It is something he is reckoning with and even the slightest indication that God is moving in someone’s life is to be viewed with optimism, after all, we’ve seen and heard of God doing far more than changing mere men. And if The Weeknd is genuinely praying for mercy, then he will be heard. As God says in the book of Jeremiah, “call to me and I will answer you.” (33:3)
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