Swedish House Mafia preview release with The Weeknd, perform two ‘Paradise Again’ singles on VMAs [Watch]229382573 372767937808366 7919474497182119491 N

Swedish House Mafia preview release with The Weeknd, perform two ‘Paradise Again’ singles on VMAs [Watch]

A collaboration between Swedish House Mafia and The Weeknd was truly a matter of when, not if.

After a nine-year release silence, the Swedish kings have more than reassured the world that they haven’t missed a beat as they start to roll out the red carpet for their debut album, Paradise Again. Following a performance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Swedish House Mafia flew halfway across the globe to supply Brooklyn—their first time in the city that never sleeps since 2013—with what was originally understood to be another live rendering of “It Gets Better” and “Lifetime” during the VMAs’ pre-show countdown.

As AxwellSebastian Ingrosso, and Steve Angello stood atop a compartmentalized stage—reminiscent of their Ultra Europe setup in 2019—that seemed like it could’ve been filmed inside a Brooklyn warehouse, the trio played out their album’s first pair of pieces, flawlessly transitioning between the two like they did during their first-ever TV showing. The Ty Dolla $ign and 070 Shake-assisted track began to fade out and everyone reasonably assumed the short-lived recording was over, but a surprise third production at the hands of the Swedes made its way to center stage: a bombshell single teaser with The Weeknd, whose vocals dropped in to belt out “like a moth to a flame” as chilling chords lit the background. Sal Slaiby—Swedish House Mafia’s new manager—had already brought the trio together with one of his other clients this year in Ty Dolla $ign, and a meeting between dance music royalty and yet another A-list name on Slaiby’s roster seemed to be inevitable, especially after a hint towards something during The Weeknd’s MEMENTO MORI radio show.

The four left things off at the VMAs with nothing more than the brief teaser, a “to be continued” screen, and a round of Instagram posts from both Swedish House Mafia and The Weeknd to make things official. Watch the Swedes’ complete VMAs pre-show performance below and check back for more information about the single’s release.

Featured image: Swedish House Mafia/Instagram

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