The Weeknd and Anitta Debut ‘Rio’ Collaboration at Record-Breaking Brazil Concert

The Weeknd dropped a brand-new song with Anitta at Rio de Janeiro's Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos on Sunday night. The track bears the name "Rio." It boomed through stadium speakers as visuals from Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike flickered across massive video screens.

Abel Tesfaye stood watching. The crowd's reaction washed over him as the unreleased collaboration played. Anitta danced next to him after they'd performed their earlier song "São Paulo" together. "We didn't do anything for Rio, did we?" Tesfaye asked the crowd, according to JamBase. "I think we should," Anitta responded.

This marked their second time working together — the Canadian artist and the Brazilian singer now have two songs linking them. Their first track, "São Paulo," dropped on October 30, 2024. It climbed to No. 22 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100.

"Anitta is a great friend. What she sent was so awesome that we created the song," Tesfaye said in an interview with Billboard Brasil. "We knew it was too special to just play on stage. We saw great potential in the song and found the beat, which is the heart of the show."

Tesfaye has hinted he might stop making music as The Weeknd. Last year brought whispers that he'd retire the persona once Hurry Up Tomorrow arrived in 2025 — an album completing a trilogy with After Hours and Dawn FM. His latest record became his seventh No. 1 album in Canada, sitting at the top for two weeks straight.

The After Hours Til Dawn tour has grown into the biggest run of his career. According to statements from Tesfaye's team, the tour has surpassed $1 billion in grosses worldwide, making it the top-earning tour by a male solo artist in history. Billboard Boxscore reported Tesfaye became the only pop act and only Black artist to sell over five million tickets on a single tour.

The Rio show packed in 40 songs. They spanned his entire career — tracks like "The Hills," "Call Out My Name," "Save Your Tears" and cuts from his recent albums filled the night.

No release date exists for "Rio" yet. Tesfaye will return to São Paulo for back-to-back shows on April 30 and May 1.