Who Are The Weeknd's Biggest Songs About?

Publish date: 2024-05-31

Highlights

Ever since Canadian musician The Weeknd rose to fame in the early 2010's he has had immense success. Today, he is certainly one of the most well-known artists of his generation and over the course of his career, he released numerous hits - many of which have been based on his IRL relationships.

And, luckily for the pop culture obsessed among us, many of said relationships just so happen to have been with some of the biggest names in the biz.

Related: Who Is The Richest Woman The Weeknd Has Dated, And Is She Richer Than He Is?

Today, we're taking a look at just who the ladies are that the singer has sung about on some of his most famous records. So, if you're curious just who his hits like "Save Your Tears" and "The Hills" are about — keep on scrolling to find out!

6 The Weeknd Dated Selena Gomez In 2017

The musician started dating former Disney Channel star Selena Gomez in December 2016. At the time, the relationship made headlines for its controversy: he and longtime girlfriend, Bella Hadid had broken up just months prior. While that wouldn't necessarily be a problem in itself, both Selena and Bella's sister, Gigi Hadid were part of Taylor Swift's girl squad at the time. At the height of the drama, Bella and Selena unfollowed one another on Instagram - and Bella famously posted a picture of herself flipping the bird.

Drama aside, Selena and The Weeknd didn't hide their love. In fact, besides appearing at events together, they also frequently shared selfies on Instagram. Unfortunately, before they even made it to their one-year anniversary, the couple decided to go their separate ways by splitting up in October 2017.

5 "Call Out My Name" Is About Selena Gomez

Of course, no one was surprised that The Weeknd ended up singing a couple of songs about his time with Selena Gomez. In 2018 The Weeknd released the EP My Dear Melancholy, which fans believe is partially about the former Disney Channel star.

When he was asked by Esquire about the fact that it only took him two and a half weeks to write and record the record, The Weeknd revealed this: "The reason why it was so short is like, I think I just had nothing else to say on this . . . whatever . . . . It was just like this cathartic piece of art. And yeah, it was short, because that’s all I had to say on this situation."

Said situation certainly seemed to be his whirlwind love life at the time, and his relationship with Selena. His major hit "Call Out my Name," in particular, had people thinking of the "Hands to Myself" singer, with the lyrics, "I almost cut a piece of myself for your life," seemingly hinting that he'd come close to donating his kidney to her when she needed it.

Unsurprisingly, he's never confirmed whether or not that was the backstory behind the lyrics - but he hasn't denied it, either.

Related: Every Uncomfortable Way Selena Gomez's Life May Have Been The Inspiration For Lily-Rose Depp's The Idol

4 The Weeknd Dated Bella Hadid On And Off Between 2015 And 2019

Back to The Weeknd's on-and-off relationship with Bella Hadid.

Given just how much time they spent together as a couple over the years (break excluded), it only makes sense that a number of The Weeknd's songs seem to revolve around the younger Hadid sister. After first getting together in 2015, the two had an on-and-off relationship until finally parting ways in 2019.

3 "Save Your Tears" And "Wasted Times" Are About Bella Hadid

Considering that The Weeknd and Bella Hadid have quite a bit of history it is not surprising that plenty of the singer's songs are about the model.

Like Selena, Bella is thought to have been one of the subjects of My Dear Melancholy, with "Wasted Times" seemingly hinting that he regretted the time he spent with Selena when he could have been with Bella instead. The detail that really tipped fans off? In one line in the song, he refers to the woman he's singing about as, "An equestrian." As many may know, Bella famously planned to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games as (drum roll) a horse rider.

Subtle.

Another of The Weeknd's songs thought to be about Bella is his After Hours song, "Save Your Tears."

In particular, it is the part in which The Weeknd sings "I saw you dancing in a crowded room / You look so happy when I'm not with you / But then you saw me, caught you by surprise / A single teardrop falling from your eye," that has fans convinced the song is about Bella.

The model famously left a nightclub just after The Weeknd arrived in 2019 - and with the song released the following year, many were quick to point out the parallels.

2 Fans Think That The Weeknd And Ariana Grande Dated Before His Big Break

Another famous lady whom The Weeknd may have written a song about is fellow musician Ariana Grande. Rumors of the two dating started back in 2014 when they collaborated on the song "Love Me Harder." However, even if there was something between the two at some point, it seems as if they remained friendly as Ariana Grande is featured on the remix of the aforementioned, "Save Your Tears."

1 And His Song "The Hills" Is Rumored To Be About Ariana Grande

The song that fans believe is about Ariana Grande is The Weeknd's 2015 hit "The Hills". More specifically, fans believe that the girl he is secretly seeing in the song is Ari.

Many have pointed out that The Weeknd's lyrics about the woman he's singing about's boyfriend being, "On the road, doin' promo" could well be referring to Big Sean. After all, at the time, he was promoting an album.

Granted, that could well be a stretch. However, one thing that definitely rouses suspicions is the twosome's reference to "The Hills" in their 2020 collaboration, "Off the Table." The lyrics in question? "I can see right through it (You can see right through it), I can you love you harder than I did before/ Was in a dark place back then, I was toxic, then I was toxic to someone else/ I was haunted by the hills (Oh yeah, yeah)." Eagle-eyed readers, you're seeing that right: there's also a reference to their very first collaboration, "Love Me Harder" in there.

Theories aside, neither The Weeknd, nor Ariana have ever confirmed or denied if there was anything between them. Maybe they're just great at hiding it - or maybe their chemistry is purely professional.

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