The Weeknd Sells NFT Collection For Over $2 Million

The “Acephalous” collection included audio-visual artworks and unreleased music.

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  • Cover photo via Republic Records.

The Weeknd just left his mark in the NFT world with the sale of his first NFT collection, which raised over $2 million total in just 24 hours. The “Acephalous” set was created in partnership with Los Angeles-based Strangeloop Studios, a frequent collaborator of the singer since 2015, and was sold via NFT art platform Nifty Gateway – the same one used by Grimes in February. 

The limited-edition collection was made of eight pieces: three audio-visual items offered as open editions, four static artworks offered as two silent auctions and two drawings, and a main standalone video titled “The Source” featuring an unreleased song by The Weeknd and a fluctuating 3-D model of his head, which was sold for $490,000. 

“Acephalous” was inspired by “a shared love of the dialogue between neo-futurism and dystopian narratives, and seeing natural forms represented in digital space,” according to a description published on the collection’s page on Nifty Gateway. “The ‘headless’ implication of Acephalous refers both to the decentralized governance of blockchain communities, and the decapitated visage featured in the pieces, severed from the source of its initial value.”

The Weeknd first teased the drop in March, when he hinted at an upcoming NFT song. Unlike other artists who have sold NFT music that is still available on streaming platforms, the singer made it clear on his website that the buyer of “The Source” will be the only person to have the exclusive song, as it will not be released “on any platforms in the future.” 

“I’ve always been looking for ways to innovate for fans and shift this archaic music biz and seeing NFT’s allowing creators to be seen and heard more than ever before on their terms is profoundly exciting,” The Weeknd said in that same statement. “I intend to contribute to this movement and can see that very soon it will be weaved into the music industry’s mechanics.”

The singer later announced on social media that he would donate $1 million to provide two million meals to people in Ethiopia via the United Nations World Food Program. 

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