''Memento Mori'' (stylized in all caps) is an Apple Music 1 radio show created by Canadian singer the Weeknd. Syndicated through his record label XO, the show began airing on June 8, 2018. Throughout the show, the Weeknd plays a mixture of songs that have inspired him during his album-making process. He also invites various guests to host their own episode and share their curated playlists.

History

2018–2019: First episodes

The Weeknd announced his radio show ''Memento Mori'' on June 6, 2018, through social media. The first episode aired on June 8. At the time of its broadcast, the Weeknd was living in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, and played songs that were inspired by "some very memorable nights." The second episode aired on August 23, over two months after the debut broadcast. The third episode aired on January 10, 2019, and was hosted by producer Gesaffelstein. During the broadcast, Gesaffelstien premiered their song " Lost in the Fire", which served as the second single from his second studio album '' Hyperion''. When the episode aired, the Weeknd was living in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and was working on his fourth studio album. The fourth episode aired on February 16, the Weeknd's 29th birthday. The broadcast was hosted by his then-girlfriend, model Bella Hadid. The fifth episode aired on April 27, 2019, and was hosted by the Weeknd's co-manager

Cash In economics, cash is money in the physical form of currency, such as banknotes and coins. In bookkeeping and financial accounting, cash is current assets comprising currency or currency equivalents that can be accessed immediately or near-imm ...

. During the episode, he premiered songs from rappers

21 Savage Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph (born October 22, 1992), known professionally as 21 Savage, is a rapper based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Born in London, he moved to Atlanta with his mother at age seven. He became known after releasing two m ...

Offset Offset or Off-Set may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * "Off-Set", a song by T.I. and Young Thug from the '' Furious 7: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' * ''Offset'' (EP), a 2018 EP by singer Kim Chung-ha * ''Offset'' (film), a 200 ...

and Travis Scott. The sixth episode, and the show's first

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...

edition, aired on October 31. It was hosted by DJ Kerwin Frost.

2019–2020: ''After Hours'' campaign

The Weeknd hosted the seventh episode on November 26, 2019, amid anticipation for new music. During the episode, he premiered his song " Heartless", the lead single from his fourth studio album '' After Hours'' (2020). The eighth episode aired on March 20, 2020, to celebrate ''After Hours''' release. The ninth episode, a special edition dedicated to the Weeknd's debut studio album '' Kiss Land'' (2013), aired on August 13. During the episode, he played the songs that inspired ''Kiss Land'', as well as unreleased songs that didn't make the album, including a collaboration with singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey. The tenth episode, and the second Halloween edition, aired on October 31. It was hosted by musician

Oneohtrix Point Never Daniel Lopatin (born July 25, 1982), best known as Oneohtrix Point Never or OPN, is an American experimental electronic music producer, composer, singer and songwriter. His music has experimented with tropes from various music genres and eras, s ...

. The eleventh episode aired on November 5, 2020, and was hosted by rapper Nav in celebration of the release of his second mixtape ''

Emergency Tsunami ''Emergency Tsunami'' is the second commercial mixtape by Canadian rapper Nav. It was released through XO and Republic Records on November 6, 2020. The mixtape contains guest appearances from Gunna, Young Thug, Lil Baby, Lil Keed, and SahBabi ...

''. The twelfth episode, a special

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

edition, aired on December 18. The thirteenth episode aired on January 6, 2021.

2021–present: ''Dawn FM'' campaign

The fourteenth episode aired on August 15, 2021, to celebrate the release of the Weeknd's song "

Take My Breath "Take My Breath" is a song by Canadian singer the Weeknd. It was released on August 6, 2021, through XO and Republic Records, as the lead single from his fifth studio album, '' Dawn FM'' (2022). The song was written and produced by the Weeknd ...

", the lead single from his upcoming fifth studio album, ''Dawn FM''. The fifteenth episode aired on August 11. During the episode, the Weeknd shared a couple of songs that inspired his upcoming album, including the songs "

Toxic Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a subst ...

" and "

Everytime "Everytime" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her fourth studio album, ''In the Zone'' (2003). It was released as the third single from ''In the Zone'' on May 10, 2004, by Jive Records. After her relationship with Justin Timberl ...

" by singer

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...

. The sixteenth episode, celebrating the tenth anniversary of the release of the Weeknd's second mixtape '' Thursday'' (2011), aired on August 18. The seventeenth episode aired on August 27, and was hosted by rapper

Belly Belly may refer to: Anatomy * The abdomen, the part of the body between the pelvis and the thorax; or the stomach ** A beer belly, an overhang of fat above the waist, presumed to be caused by regular beer drinking ** Belly dance * The fleshy, cent ...

in celebration of the release of his third studio album ''

See You Next Wednesday ''See You Next Wednesday'' is a recurring gag in most of the films directed by John Landis, usually referring to a fictional film that is rarely seen and never in its entirety. Each instance of ''See You Next Wednesday'' in Landis's films seems to ...

''. The eighteenth episode aired on October 4. During the episode, the Weeknd announced that his upcoming album is complete and that he was waiting on a "couple characters that are key to the narrative". He also revealed during the episode that he will be featured in a couple of songs that will arrive prior to the album's release. The nineteenth episode aired on October 14, and was hosted by the Weeknd's best friend and creative director

La Mar Taylor La Mar C. Taylor (born September 17, 1990) is a Canadian artist, creative director, and entrepreneur. He is the co-founder of XO Records, and the creative director for the label's primary artist, singer the Weeknd. He is also the co-founder of t ...

. The twentieth episode aired on October 28, and was hosted by

house music House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by Disc jockey, DJs and music producers from Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago' ...

supergroup Supergroup or super group may refer to: * Supergroup (music), a music group formed by artists who are already notable or respected in their fields * Supergroup (physics), a generalization of groups, used in the study of supersymmetry * Supergroup ...

Swedish House Mafia. During the episode, the group premiered their collaboration song with the Weeknd "

Moth to a Flame "Moth to a Flame" is a song by Swedish house music supergroup Swedish House Mafia and Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd. It was released on 22 October 2021 through Republic Records as the third single from the former's debut studio album ' ...

", the third single from their upcoming debut studio album ''Paradise Again''. The twenty-first episode, and the third Halloween edition, aired on October 31. It was hosted by producer Mike Dean. The twenty-second episode aired on November 19. It was hosted by singer-songwriter Rosalía.

References

{{The Weeknd Internet radio in Canada 2018 radio programme debuts The Weeknd XO (record label) Music radio programs