Hey, you there, person who shamelessly forced their entire family to do the “Blinding Lights” challenge in quarantine (crazy times!): It probably had a huge impact on The Weeknd’s net worth. While 2020 was undoubtably the worst, a sh*tshow, a garbage fire, etc. (take your pick), The Weeknd—aka Abel Tesfaye—continued to cement himself as one of the industry’s top streaming artists. And apparently, more streaming = more tours = more money. Abel’s net worth is massive thanks to billions of streams converting into millions of dollars, which has allowed him to do things like drop $7 million of his own money on the Super Bowl, and we’re breaking it down for you right here—while simultaneously having a breakdown, of course. *cries at bank balance*
He Earned $92 Million in 2017
And that number has only shot up since (but more on that later). 2017 was The Weeknd’s highest-earning year thus far—and it’s all thanks to billions (that’s billions with a B) of streams. Those streams led to a truly massive touring advance of $75 million, what experts call a nutso sum of money. The Weeknd ended up earning $92 million total that year, which landed him on the cover of Forbes. Like, there’s rich, and then there’s Forbes cover rich, ya know?
As Abel told the magazine, “We live in a world where artists don’t really make the money off the music like we did in the Golden Age. It’s not really coming in until you hit the stage.”
His Earnings Dropped in 2019
But when I say “dropped,” I mean he still made a full $40 million—much of which came from brand deals with the likes of Puma and Bacardi. And FYI, streams from his 2020 hit “Blinding Lights” and After Hours alone probs set him up for some pretty lucrative years. Hope his accountant is ready to do some math.
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More recently, his 2022 album Dawn FM debuted at number one on Apple Music U.S and in 125 countries *and* was also number one on Spotify U.S. and Globally. Oh, and despite the fact that it was released with little notice, it racked up a total of 173 million on-demand streams, while 14,800 came from pure sales in its first full sales week. Damn.
He Has Millions in Real Estate
On top of his $21 million Beverly Hills penthouse, The Weeknd owned an estate in Hidden Hills, which he bought for $18 million and sold to Madonna for $19.3 million in 2021, which is low-key one of the coolest ways to make $1.3 million buckaroonies. BTW, Madonna is selling the property now and in case you’re interested in buying, lol, here’s the vibe:
FYI: He Didn’t Get Paid for the 2021 Super Bowl
Unless the NFL secretly switched things up in 2021, The Weeknd didn’t get a paycheck for performing during the Super Bowl LV—much like J.Lo and Shakira didn’t the year prior. Why, you ask? The NFL never pays artists for the halftime show because the org views it as free advertising. Apparently, artists can expect their music sales to have a massive spike as a result of their performance. As an NFL spokesperson explained to Forbes in 2016, “We do not pay the artists. We cover expenses and production costs.”
So, What’s His Net Worth?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, that’d be $300 million. I repeat: $300 million, which is up a whopping $200 million since the last time we covered his net worth in 2021. Congratulations to The Weeknd. Now excuse me while I go attempt to, like, figure out stocks because lord knows they didn’t teach that in high school.
Mehera Bonner is a celebrity and entertainment news writer who enjoys Bravo and Antiques Roadshow with equal enthusiasm, She was previously entertainment editor at Marie Claire and has covered pop culture for over a decade.