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THE WEEKND SPEAKS: FOR APPLE MUSIC

The Weeknd has been aligned with Apple Music from Day One at the WWDC so it makes sense he would be one of the stars of the new TV campaign, a two-part story woven in and out of the Weeknd's appearance at the VMAs.

Airing directly after his fiery performance of "Can't Feel My Face," Part One was conceived (by Apple Head of Content Larry Jackson and director Nabil) to hypothetically pick up right after Tesfasye gets offstage at the VMAs, even going so far as having the artist wear the same wardrobe onstage at the Microsoft Theater taping as he is in the commercials.

Part One also co-stars John Travolta as the limo driver and—bonus treat—we finally hear Abel's speaking voice, that’s been a big mystery with this artist up until now. (And let's not forget this gem of an expression when he runs into Pulp Fiction in his limo).

Part Two of The Weeknd's Apple Music campaign, featuring "The Hills," focused more on the interactive aspects of the service, but if you're a Weeknd fan, you'll note how they're cleverly winking through a whole double-entendre in this commercial using the dance floor crowd changes in a way that resembles what the Weeknd might see on one of his drug laced party trips-- certainly something he's sung about for the last four albums. So it's quite authentic to the artist even that the spot came laced with the message and tag line: “It's All In Your Head— Create Your Own Party." Unlimited Music for $9.99”

Music superstars were powerfully integrated with brands all night, as is often the custom during the unpredictable but world media event that is the Video Music Awards. Other partnerships included Katy Perry for Cover Girl, A$AP Rocky for Samsung, Echosmith for Amazon Fire, Prince Royce for Orbit and of course, AWOLNATION for Red Bull.

Apple Music Part One

Apple Music Part Two

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