The Weeknd talks on his connection with 'Avatar': 'The film is tattooed in my brain'

The Weeknd reflected back on watching Avatar for the first time in 2009 when he was 19 and going through a rough phase. The movie worked as a ray of light for him at that time.

“That was probably the darkest time of my life,” the Canadian singer told The Hollywood Reporter. “I was homeless, pretty much. I had dropped out of school. I didn’t know if I was going to succeed as a musician. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to live to see tomorrow.”

“And I remember I somehow got to see the film in theaters. I don’t know how I got in. It was such an escape from my real life that the film is tattooed in my brain.” He added.

The Weeknd kicked off his career marking a major breakthrough with his critically acclaimed alternative R&B mixtape, House of Balloons.

Which was debuted two years after the release of Avatar. Then, the singer had a major-label deal, countless No. 1 hits on the pop charts, streaming milestones, awards galore, massive tours and more.

He was seemingly the most sought after singer in James Cameron’s list when the filmmaker wanted a theme song for the sequel of his sci-fi film.

The Weeknd, with the help of composer Simon Franglen and electronic house trio Swedish House Mafia created Nothing Is Lost for Avatar: The Way of Water. 

While talking to the outlet he shared his experience on how he came up with Nothing Is Lost that he sang for the movie.

“They told me they had one name on the list to do the song and it was me,” The Weeknd said. “It feels kismet and it’s a full-circle moment for me to be a part of something like this, because it is such an important film for me.”

“It’s a gift. It’s a blessing. Jim [James Cameron] and [producer] Jon [Landau] and Simon [Franglen] — they really made me feel like I was the only one that could do this song. And it was a sign. When they reached out, I was on tour. I saw the film in July.” He further explained.

“I was honored, but I was nervous. It’s such a big opportunity and the film is so massive that naturally I was nervous. I knew I was going to be working with some special collaborators because I was going to be working with people who had vision and knew exactly what they wanted. And those are the types of artists I always want to work with.” He added.

The 32-year-old expressed his feelings for the track that is also shortlisted for best original song at the 2023 Academy Awards.

“I feel honored to be part of that list. Any kind of recognition for it feels like a blessing.” He said while expressing his feelings on being shortlisted for Oscars.”