Heartless is a song by Canadian singer The Weeknd from his fourth studio album After Hours. The song was released by XO and Republic Records on November 27, 2019, as the album's lead single. The Weeknd co-wrote the song with its producers Metro Boomin, Illangelo, and Dre Moon. The song reached number one in its second week on the US Billboard Hot 100, on December 14, 2019, becoming The Weeknd's fourth US number-one single. A Vapor Wave remix of the song featuring American rapper Lil Uzi Vert was released alongside the deluxe edition of its parent album on March 23, 2020. On April 3, 2020, an extended and normal-pitched version of the Lil Uzi Vert remix was released alongside the parent album's accompanying remix EP.
Background and release[]
The Weeknd first teased that he was working on a new album in November 2018, via a performance in which he told the crowd that "Chapter VI was coming soon." Following a trio of collaborative singles throughout 2019, on August 6, he further reassured fans that he was working on his fourth studio album. Then after a period of silence, on November 24 the single "Blinding Lights" was revealed through a Mercedes-Benz television commercial, with reports of "Heartless" surfacing a day later, along with its leaked cover art. It then premiered on the seventh episode of The Weeknd's Memento Mori Beats 1 radio show on November 27, 2019. In an interview with CR Men, Tesfaye confirmed that "Heartless" was the first song that he wrote for After Hours after the release of his 2018 EP My Dear Melancholy.
Music Video[]
On December 3, 2019, The Weeknd uploaded the music video for "Heartless" to his youtube channel. It was filmed around downtown Las Vegas at the Plaza Hotel and Casino.
The video starts with Abel and fellow collaborator/friend Metro Boomin leaving a car, before heading inside the casino and partying the night away, gambling, drinking, and smoking. Eventually Abel gets his hand on a toad, licking it, sending him into a psychedelic nightmare. He goes outside were he starts freaking out, hallucinating his hands turning into toad skin. Metro leaves in a car, and Abel runs down a street before eventually throwing up, then staring at himself in his reflection, smiling.
The video has gained 200 million views.