Following his donations to coronavirus relief, Black Lives Matter, and other social justice organizations, The Weeknd donated $300,000 USD to Global Aid for Lebanon on August 12, Wednesday, following the Beirut explosions.
His manager, Wassim "Sal" Slaiby had made the announcement of The Weeknd's donation through his social media. Sal and his wife, Rima Fakih, have been mobilizing relief efforts for Lebanon. The couple has donated $250,000 to support the Lebanese Red Cross, United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), and Children's Cancer Center of Lebanon. Sal has also partnered with Global Citizen to launch the #GlobalAidForLebanon campaign.
The Beirut Explosions - which were two explosions that happened in the same day - occured in the capital of Lebanon, Beirut, on August 4, and killed more than 200 people. The explosion also damaged the central area of the city. The explosion had also led to thousands of casualties, with 6,000 people left injured and more than 300,000 people were left homeless, all in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.
The explosion was felt in neighboring countries Turkey, Syria, and Israel, and well as some parts of Europe. It was also heard in Cyrpus. To date, it is considered one of the most powerful non-nuclear explosions in history.
Following the explosion, Lebanon declared a two-week state of emergency. Protests ensued against the government, citing failure to prevent the explosions. On August 10, Prime Minister Hassan Diab and the Lebanese cabinet resigned, citing political pressure following the event.
The suspected cause of the event is 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, which has been confiscated by the government from an abandoned ship and then stored in the port with no proper safety measures for six years.
ABOUT THE WEEKND
The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, started his singing career in 2010, posting anonymous songs to YouTube. In 2011, The Weeknd released mixtapes "House of Balloons", "Thursday", and "Echoes of Silence", which quickly earned the singer a fanbase and critical recognition from mainstream media outlets who love his dark style of R&B and the mystery around his identity.
He signed with Republic Records in 2012 and re-released his past three mixtapes in the compilation album "Trilogy". In 2013, he released his first studio album "Kiss Land", which was followed by "Beauty Behind The Madness" in 2015. The latter album was one of the best-selling albums of the year. It won the Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 2016 Grammy Awards, where it was also nominated for Album of the Year. In 2016, he released "Starboy", where it won Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 2018 Grammy Awards. In 2020, he released "After Hours", which is home to hit songs "Heartless" and "Blinding Lights".
Throughout his career, he won three Grammy Awards, two American Music Awards, nine Billboard Music Awards, nine June Awards, and has even been nominated for an Academy Award. Some of his top hits include "Can't Feel My Face", "Earned It", "The Hills", "Starboy", "Heartless" and "Blinding Lights".
The Weeknd is one of the most successful Canadian artists and was awarded an Allan Slaight Award by Canada's Walk of Fame for his impact on music.
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