The Weeknd's TikTok Concert Raises $350K For Equal Justice Initiative

Source: NBC / Getty

The Weeknd proves time and time again that he will open his pockets for a good cause.

On August 7, the artists did an interactive virtual concert on TikTok live, which ended up being a huge hit.

TikTok revealed that the concert raised a whopping $350,000 for the Equal Justice Initiative by selling new and limited Weeknd x TikTok merchandise during his performance. The nonprofit is dedicated to ending mass incarceration in America, challenging racial and economic injustice, and protecting human rights for the U.S.’s most marginalized groups.

Just as impressive, the event brought in over two million total unique viewers, with 275,000 concurrent viewers at its peak, which marks a new record for TikTok. For The Weeknd Experience, the singer materialized in digital-avatar form to play his hit songs like “Blinding Lights,” also performing a version of “In Your Eyes” with Doja Cat as a special guest.

The premise of the event features The Weeknd “lead[ing] fans through a hallucinatory XR dream world,” according to a press release. Fans were also able to vote in the comments to help guide the experience’s visual theme.

“The Weeknd Experience transformed Abel’s music into an immersive and interactive world,” Isabel Quinteros, TikTok senior manager of music partnerships and artist relations, said in the press release. “It’s so important to keep fans engaged and entertained with innovative music events during the pandemic, and I think the Experience did that while also serving as a ‘thank you’ from The Weeknd to the TikTok community for their support of his music.”

Going even further in his philanthropy bag, The Weeknd also did his part to help the victims of last week’s terrifying explosion in Beirut with a $300,000 donation to Global Aid for Lebanon.