Diplo Says The Weeknd Influenced Production On Usher's 'Climax'
There is some calm finally after The Weeknd commented recently in an interview how he initially felt angry that Usher took his sound for his hit single ‘Climax’.
In a chat with Variety, The Weeknd commented: “I heard ‘Climax,’ that [2012] Usher song, and was like, ‘Holy f—, that’s a Weeknd song.’ It was very flattering, and I knew I was doing something right, but I also got angry. But the older I got, I realized it’s a good thing,” said Abel, pointing to the fact that his early tapes inspired Usher’s single. Variety noted that Usher declined to comment on this.
Since then, there has been a big debate on social media about whether the electro-R&B song sounded like it was influenced by The Weeknd. Usher indirectly responded to the controversy by taking part in the #ClimaxChallenge where he sang the falsetto from the song. Now the producer of the track, Diplo says that the production on the song was indeed inspired by The Weeknd.
“The production on ‘Climax’ lends itself to House of Balloons era @theweeknd,” wrote Diplo on Twitter. “When I heard those early records they blew my mind—soulful in their silences, and a spacey iconic voice that felt uniquely internet. The idea of R&B having dark edges was what I wanted to bring to @usher.”
Right after Diplo said that, The Weeknd jumped in and made sure all’s love, crowning Usher a “king.” The singer wrote: “Of course media blows things out of proportion and takes things out of context,” Abel said. “Usher is a King and always an inspiration so it was flattering to hear what him and Diplo did on ‘Climax.'”