Why The Weeknd Almost Pulled Out Of Coachella After Replacing Kanye West
Kanye West made the last-minute decision to drop out of this year’s Coachella festival in California, just two weeks before the event was set to take place at the Empire Polo Ground. West had been booked to perform on April 17 and April 24 for a report $8 million, which also included a $500,000 production fee. Organizers were clearly convinced that the Stronger hitmaker was sure to pull in a huge crowd given the pricey deal they were willing to offer him.
And while the father-of-four had happily accepted the proposal to headline both weekends, West later decided to pull out entirely amid claims he’s been “seeking help” after his shocking split from ex-wife Kim Kardashian last year. Coachella bosses were left scrambling for a new act to take West’s place in their star-studded line-up and were later happy to learn that The Weeknd was available for both weekends.
They reportedly announced The Weeknd as their new headliner before having inked a deal with the Starboy hitmaker, and when the R&B singer learned that Coachella was offering him less than what they were said to have given Wet, he was ready to bail on the concerts too.
The Weeknd Demands The Same Fee As Kanye
A report via Page Six claimed that The Weeknd was not happy to learn that Coachella was not willing to pay him the same money they had offered West for his two-day appearance at the annual festival, leading him to threaten producers of pulling out of the festival.
Sources claim that The Weeknd asked for the same fee of $8.5 million — it’s unclear how he knew how much West was expected to receive, but the I Feel Coming hitmaker was firm with his words, saying he would not perform otherwise.
Paul Tollett, who is the CEO of Coachella promoter Goldenvoice, had made the announcement that The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, and electronic supergroup Swedish House Mafia had officially replaced Ye at the upcoming occasion.
“I’m so looking forward to this moment with Swedish House Mafia and The Weeknd finishing out the Sunday night slot this year,” Tollett expressed.
“Coachella has a special relationship with Abel and I’m so thankful to have this upcoming performance with these iconic artists all on the same stage.”
Supposedly, the deal with The Weeknd hadn’t been closed when the statement went public, so when it came down to negotiating the overall performance fee, discussions were at one point looking rather bad for Coachella bosses, who initially hadn’t presented the same amount of money as they were ready to splurge on West.
At the last hour, though, a deal was able to worked out, with The Weeknd later being granted to earn the same pay as his fellow musical peer.
Is Kanye Getting Help After His Divorce?
Fans will recall how expressive West became upon learning about Kardashian’s blossoming relationship with Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson, whom she has reportedly been dating since November.
Another report via Page Six alleged that the 44-year-old, who separated from the KKW founder just over a year ago, was getting whatever help he needed while dealing with the breakdown of his relationship with Kardashian.
The pair married back in 2014 and welcomed four children together: North, Psalm, Saint, and Chicago.
But before their split, it had already been claimed that both West and Kardashian had been unhappy together, with the Grammy award-winner later relocating to Wyoming while his then-wife remained in Los Angeles with the children.
Their split didn’t shock their family and friends, who had supposedly already seen apparent cracks in their marriage for a while.
In regard to West seeking help after finalizing his divorce from Kardashian, an insider gushed, “For the sake of the kids, Kanye has told Kim he’s not making any public appearances or inflammatory social media statements, and he will go away somewhere to get better.”
A rep for the outspoken chart-topper later responded to the story, writing in an official statement, “At this time, Ye is committed to a healthy co-parenting relationship with Kim and is focused on raising their beautiful children.”
His decision to cancel his performance at Coachella was said to have been down to the supposed fact that Ye wants to step away from the limelight for a while, particularly after his social media rants concerning Davidson.
West has built an astounding net worth of $1.8 billion thanks to his successful career in both music and fashion.
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