Dolby Teams up with The Weeknd to Explore How He Creates Worlds with Music

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – September 12, 2021 – Dolby Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: DLB), a leader in immersive entertainment experiences, teamed up with The Weeknd to celebrate a new era for music in Dolby Atmos, which is transforming how music is created and enjoyed. The long-form commercial explores how The Weeknd creates sensory experiences through music. Fans looking to connect with The Weeknd on a deeper, more emotional level, can experience his recently released single “Take My Breath” along with other favorites today in Dolby Atmos on Apple Music. 

“I approach music as a full sensory experience by creating worlds that my fans can step into,” said Abel Tesfaye, the singer, songwriter, and record producer better known as The Weeknd. “Dolby Atmos is an experience. It takes music to a new place by creating an immersive world where you can feel every detail. It’s surreal and allows me to create music without limits.”

The video takes fans inside the mind of one of music’s most renowned artists, The Weeknd, as he speaks about creating new worlds for fans through his music. With Dolby Atmos, you’re given a passport into these worlds to discover and feel every detail of his creative vision.

“The creativity and layers behind The Weeknd’s music is a perfect showcase for the power of Dolby Atmos,” said Todd Pendleton, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Dolby Laboratories. “Listening to Take My Breath in Dolby Atmos is an incredible experience that takes you to another place.”

The piece was created to celebrate a new era for music in Dolby Atmos. As a driving force in sound innovation, Dolby Atmos pushes the boundaries of creativity so that music can be expressed and felt at its fullest. With Dolby Atmos, Dolby aims to create the strongest bond possible between artists, their stories, and the world. The video was directed by Somesuch-based directing duo Cliqua. Cliqua have amassed over 700 million plays of their videos and were the creators behind The Weeknd’s music video for “Take My Breath.”

“Take My Breath” is the first single from The Weeknd’s highly anticipated forthcoming album and follow up to his critically acclaimed album After Hours, which was his fourth #1 album in the United States. The sonically charged track exemplifies The Weeknd’s ability to consistently evolve his sound and his knack for storytelling through music. Fans can enjoy the song today in Dolby Atmos along with his four most recent albums – After Hours, My Dear Melancholy, Starboy, and Beauty Behind the Madness – which are now streaming on Apple Music.

To learn more, visit: https://www.dolby.com/experience/the-weeknd/

About Dolby Atmos

Dolby Atmos is a completely new way to create and experience music that delivers artistic expression at its fullest capacity, forging a deeper connection between artists and their fans. Music in Dolby Atmos goes beyond the ordinary listening experience by immersing you in the song, revealing details with unparalleled clarity and depth. It gives artists more space and the freedom to fully realize their vision and unlock new levels of emotion in their music for their listeners. Whether it’s hearing the layers of instruments move all around you, catching the subtle breath a singer takes between lyrics, or feeling melodies wash over you – nothing puts you inside the music like Dolby Atmos.

About The Weeknd

Filtering R&B and pop through an ambitious widescreen lens, The Weeknd took over popular music and culture on his own terms. The multi-platinum and Diamond certified star is one of the most listened to artists in the world on Spotify (with over 54 billion streams across all platforms) and is a top 10 artist of all time for RIAA singles. His 2020 album After Hours is the #1 most streamed R&B album of all time (followed by his 2016 album Starboy at #2), and his 80’s nostalgic track “Blinding Lights” went 8X RIAA-certified platinum and broke the record for Billboard’s longest-charting hit in the Hot 100’s history. Alongside his gilded musical career, he’s graced the covers of TIME, Forbes, Variety, Rolling Stone, Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, and GQ along with late night TV stages with heralded performances on SNL, Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, and the VMA’s where he accepted the awards for Video of the Year and Best R&B and most impactful as the solo headliner of the 2021 Super Bowl LV. He generously shares, with over $3.3 million in donations in 2020 and 2021 so far to various charities with a recent $1 million donation to help with the crisis in Ethiopia. The continuous record-breaking of charts, sales and streams, headlining the biggest festivals and stadiums in the world including this year’s Super Bowl, and his ever-mysterious public persona combined solidifies The Weeknd as one of the most compelling and significant artists of the 21st century.