The Weeknd receives the 2022 CMW Allan Slaight Humanitarian Spirit Award.
The Weeknd bags another honour as he becomes the first musician to receive the 2022 CMW Allan Slaight Humanitarian Spirit Award for his social activism initiatives. The CMW Allan Slaight Humanitarian Spirit Award is presented to a Canadian artist, duo or group every year for their humanitarian interests and causes. The Slaight Family Foundation will now make a donation of $50,000 to a charity that The Weeknd chooses. The “After Hours” hitmaker previously receive the Allan Slaight Impact honour at Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2014. In the past couple of years, the Canadian artist has donated over 8.3 million dollars in support of charity causes.
“That this is a Canadian award sits deep with me. Allan and The Slaight Family Foundation are known across the country for their generous philanthropy, and it means a lot to be acknowledged, and is an honour to be recognized along with the legendary Canadian artists who received this award before me,” said The Weeknd.
“The global success of Abel “the Weeknd” Tesfaye makes every Canadian proud. What Abel has done with his success is something that we can be doubly proud of–and this is to improve the lives of people in need, in Canada and around the world. His altruism, in a word, is exemplary,” says Gary Slaight, President and CEO of The Slaight Family Foundation. “Throughout his professional life, my father, Allan Slaight, made it a family mission to ensure our financial accomplishments were used to improve our community and beyond. Abel’s support of organizations, foundations and initiatives working to make the world a better place aligns with my father’s desire to do the same. In recognition of his philanthropy, Abel Tesfaye is admirably deserving of the 2022 CMW Allan Slaight Humanitarian Award and on behalf of myself and our family we honour him for his charitableness, humanness and unspoken kindnesses.”
“With great popularity comes great responsibility, as far as the Weeknd is concerned,” says Neill Dixon, Canadian Music Week president. “When he ruled the stage at the Super Bowl half-time show, he didn’t simply represent proud Canadians in front of a global audience, he was a true citizen of the world. And he lives that role offstage as well, with philanthropic activities almost too numerous to count. Social issues, humanitarian relief, food security, cultural and language preservation. It takes a person of principle to see the big global picture and imagine numerous ways they can pay their blessings forward and create change. CMW is proud to be associated with Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye and we applaud the recognition he is receiving today.”
Over the past several years, The Weeknd has donated more than $8.3 million to a variety of causes, including $50,000 to the St Mary Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Toronto, which he visited as a kid, and $100,000 to the Suubi Health Center, a prenatal and children’s medical center in Uganda, as well as generous donors to the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, the Equal Justice Initiative, and the United Nations.
In 2023, The Weeknd will begin the second leg of his European After Hours Till Dawn tour. Additionally, he will release a brand-new song from the Avatar: The Way of Water soundtrack tonight.
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