A look at Ariana Grande and The Weeknd’s relationship as ‘Die For You’ remix drops

After teasing a collaboration throughout the week, The Weeknd’s remix of ‘Die For You’ featuring Ariana Grande has finally dropped and has already been added to Peopleworld’s playlist over the weekend. The dulcet tones of The Weeknd and the flourishes that Grande herself provides to the remix have definite post-night-out vibes for your Friday or Saturday evening.

The collaboration however has once again brought to attention the past history between the 33-year-old Abel Tesfaye and 29-year-old Ariana Grande-Butera; not merely from a musical collaborative standpoint, but from a romantic standpoint also given their not-too-distant history.

It’s something that Ariana Grande seems conscious of ahead of the release of ‘Die For You,’ as she took to social media earlier in the week to drop hints about the single and clarify her status with The Weeknd. “Wrote and recorded a verse for my friend after a 14 hour day on set. This certain exception had to be made….” she informed her TikTok followers, making certain to use the word “friend” to avoid any assumptions.

Perhaps the repeat collaborations added fuel to a fire that first started smouldering in 2020, when the pair collaborated on the song ‘Off The Table,’ prompting Grande to address the rumours on The Zach Sang Show, where she called the songwriting process after sending the song to The Weeknd as “a very intimate moment and writing process between two friends.”

Those rumours then resurfaced in 2021 when The Weeknd dropped the track ‘I Heard You Were Married’; it had been suggested that the lyrics were regarding Grande’s then marriage to Dalton Gomez and previous, “secret” meet-ups the pair had. Stans went even further to try and decipher certain lyrics from the song, including the use of Ariana Grande lyrics in certain bars - though The Weeknd has never confirmed who the song is about.

It does seem unfair however that the rumours have started once again, due to the mere fact the pair are good friends and have collaborated on ‘Love Me Harder,’ ‘Off The Table’ and “Save Your Tears” remixes. But at least the track demonstrates two things - people are still keen to know everything about Ariana Grande’s quite illustrious love life, but more importantly how influential she is as a collaborator for The Weeknd.

The Weeknd to appear on HBO this weekend

Speaking about The Weeknd, he is set to have a busy weekend after the official release of ‘Die For You’; HBO will be airing a special concert film ‘The Weeknd Live at SoFi Stadium’ on Saturday evening in the United States. Filmed during his After Hours Til Dawn stadium tour that took over North America last summer, the first images revealed by HBO show this isn’t a simple concert film shot from the side of the stage - instead, it looks to take advantage of the production including cinematic sweep and all the silver screen cinematography you’d expect now from the broadcaster.

That then leads into The Weeknd’s second project for HBO; starring as the lead in ‘The Idol’, opposite Lily-Rose Depp and Schitt’s Creek creator Dan Levy. The official synopsis for the show reads: “Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) is an aspiring pop idol who, after having a nervous breakdown that causes her last tour to be cancelled, resolves to reclaim her title as the sexiest pop star in America and begins a complicated relationship with a self-help guru and the head of a contemporary cult (The Weeknd).”