New Music: The Weeknd & Ariana Grande – “Die for You” (Remix)
Nothing says “I want a No. 1 hit” like releasing a remix with a feature as your song sits in the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. This is especially the case when the song in question is an album cut from a project released in 2016 that has since been followed by two other albums.
This is the story of “Die for You,” the 17th track from The Weeknd’s third LP, Starboy, which has become a hit song after steadily gaining popularity over the last 18 months or so. The song became a viral hit on TikTok in the fall of 2021 and got added radio playlists. However, unlike your typical viral hit, this not only stuck but rose all the way to the top 10.
With the top spot within striking distance, The Weeknd has done what anyone playing to win will do: He released a remix with a feature. And not just any feature, an Ariana Grande feature. The two have collaborated multiple times in the past and topped the Billboard Hot 100 together with the “Save Your Tears” remix (i.e., the last time Abel pulled out all stops for a No. 1 hit).
One of the beauties of the new chart rules at Billboard is that it now reflects what people are listening to regardless of when the music was released. One could argue that Mariah Carey has been the biggest beneficiary of this change, but there have been others, including Kate Bush, who topped the global chart last year with a song released in 1985.
“Die for You” joins the list of songs that show that there is no expiration date for good music, and with Ariana Grande on the remix, The Weeknd has a strong shot at the throne on next week’s chart.
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