The Weeknd has donated $2.5 million from his XO Humanitarian Fund to Gaza relief efforts, which will equate to four million emergency meals.
Announced on Friday (December 1), the donation was made in partnership with the United Nations World Food Programme. The organization will assist in the delivery of 820 metric tons (approx. 1.8million pounds) of food parcels that could feed more than 173,000 Palestinians for two weeks.
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In a statement, WFP’s Director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe Region, Corinne Fleischer, said: “This conflict has unleashed a humanitarian catastrophe beyond reckoning. WFP is working round the clock to provide aid in Gaza but a major scale up is needed to address the desperate level of hunger we are seeing.
“Our teams need safe and sustained humanitarian access, and continued support from donors to reach as many people as we can,” Fleischer continued. “We thank Abel for this valuable contribution towards the people of Palestine. We hope others will follow Abel’s example and support our efforts.”
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The Weeknd has been a Goodwill Ambassador for the WFP since 2021 and has donated nearly $2 million through his XO fund in that time.
It’s been a major year for The Weeknd, whose After Hours ’til Dawn tour just became the highest-grossing tour by a Black artist in European history, beating out a record previously set by Beyoncé.
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Over the course of 30 shows overseas, Abel raked in $158.1 million with over 1.6 million tickets sold. The France shows in Nice and Bordeaux as well as Madrid were completely sold out, with those for concerts alone banking The Weeknd about $16million.
While performing in Bogotá, Colombia in October, the international music superstar worked alongside 35 local companies in an effort to stimulate the economy, which created some 1,500 jobs.
Back in July, the XO leader broke London Stadium’s highest attendance record during a two-night stint that drew in 160,000 fans total.
In a statement, Live Nation’s Touring President Omar Al-joulani told Variety that he was incredibly impressed with the record-shattering moment.
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“It’s incredible to see the Weeknd hit this milestone less than halfway through his massive sold-out European run,” Omar Al-joulani said. “This historic moment in London shows the global fanbase he has cultivated over the years.”
Then, in August, The Weekend doubled back and shattered another record while performing at London’s Wembley Stadium.
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According to Live Nation UK, the Grammy Award-winning artist “broke Wembley Stadium’s record for sales with their traditional concert set up with the stage at one end of the stadium with 87,000 tickets sold.”
The Starboy crooner isn’t done with the road just yet as he’ll be heading down under to Australia later this month for a slew of dates before hitting nearby New Zealand to wrap up in December.
