After opening his show in Hong Kong on 24 Oct 2023 GMT+7, The Weeknd released the song “Hong Kong (feat. 王菲季候風)” to honor the city and its local music culture. This song incorporates the Cantonese vocals and music from “Monsoon” (季候風), a hit by Faye Wong released in 1993.
The Weeknd has long admired Cantopop and Wong Kar-wai’s films, especially those featuring Faye Wong such as Chungking Express. The single’s cover features a Hong Kong image from Christopher Doyle’s personal collection; Doyle was the cinematographer of that film.
After The Weeknd first performed the song “Hong Kong,” an Instagram Live clip garnered over 18 million views and more than 1 million likes. Meanwhile, the original version of “Monsoon” regained attention, reaching number 1 on the Rising charts of QQ Music and NetEase Cloud Music, number 3 on Apple Music China on 28 Oct 2023 GMT+7, and entering the Top 10 on Spotify Hong Kong.
The song’s popularity spread to other platforms, with “Monsoon” rising 15 places to number 3 on Shazam China’s daily chart. The lyric phrase “這一次季候風吹得特別兇” (This time the seasonal wind is blowing especially hard) ranked 8th on Douyin’s Hot List on 28 Oct 2023 GMT+7. Meanwhile, The Weeknd’s post about Hong Kong received over 288,000 likes and quickly became the top post on the Douyin Entertainment Chart.
“Hong Kong” was released near the end of the After Hours Til Dawn Stadium Tour, the highest-grossing solo male artist tour ever, with over 7.5 million tickets sold and total revenue exceeding $1 billion since its start in 2022. The Asian leg was extended from 11 to 17 shows due to high demand, including the recent concerts at Rajamangala National Stadium in Thailand from 11-13 Oct 2023 GMT+7, concluding in Kuala Lumpur on 4 and 5 Nov 2023 GMT+7.
“Hong Kong (feat. 王菲季候風)” connects The Weeknd’s love for Hong Kong’s music and culture with Faye Wong’s familiar voice, successfully reviving the classic song among new listeners. Those wishing to share fond memories of their Hong Kong trips on social media are encouraged to use The Weeknd’s “Hong Kong (feat. 王菲季候風)” track on TikTok and Instagram.
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