'It wasn't a feud,' The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, says of his controversial comments on Usher's 2012 single 'Climax' in a cover story with Variety on April 8.
- Aug 26, 2020
AceShowbiz - There is no music beef between The Weeknd and Usher, at least according to the former. In his interview for Esquire cover story, the "Starboy" hitmaker denies having hard feelings for the "No Guidance" singer.
"It wasn't a feud," The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, said of his controversial comments on Usher's 2012 single "Climax" in a cover story with Variety on April 8. "I hit him up to apologize and tell him that it was misconstrued. He's one of the reasons why I make music. Definitely."
The "After Hours" musician went on to say, "No, no, I have nothing bad to say about Usher." The Weeknd further gushed over Usher, calling him "the sweetest, most down-to-earth guy ever."
The feud rumors between the R&B superstars started after The Weeknd compared "Climax" to his earlier moody R&B music in the interview with Variety. "I heard 'Climax', that [2012] Usher song, and was like, 'Holy f**k, that's a Weeknd song.' It was very flattering, and I knew I was doing something right, but I also got angry. But the older I got, I realized it's a good thing," he said at the time.
Following the publication of the article, Usher's frequent collaborator Eric Bellinger started the #ClimaxChallenge on Instagram, showing off the original artist's piercing falsetto. "Big Bro jumped in to set the record straight!!!... Now all we waitin for is you @theweeknd," Bellinger wrote in the caption.
Diplo, who served as the song's co-producer and co-writer, also weighed in on the matter. In a series of tweets, he admitted that The Weeknd's 2011 "House of Balloons" mixtape was such a crucial influence to the song.
"The production on Climax lends itself to House of Balloons era @theweeknd. when I heard those early records they blew my mind - soulful in their silences, and a spacey iconic voice that felt uniquely internet," Diplo tweeted on April 9. "The idea of R&B having dark edges was what I wanted to bring to @usher."
