The Weeknd says Usher’s ‘Climax’ made him ‘angry’: ‘Holy f***, that’s a Weeknd song’

‘It was very flattering, and I knew I was doing something right, but I also got angry’

The Weeknd on 11 December 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

The Weeknd says he was “angry” when he heard Usher’s song “Climax” for the first time because he thought it sounded like one of his own tunes.

The artist broached the topic in a new interview with Variety, in which he looked back on his 2011 mixtape House of Balloons.

“House of Balloons literally changed the sound of pop music before my eyes,” he told the publication.

“I heard ‘Climax’, that Usher song, and was like, ‘Holy f***, that’s a Weeknd song.’”

“Climax” came out in 2012 as the lead single from the album Looking 4 Myself.

“It was very flattering, and I knew I was doing something right, but I also got angry,” The Weeknd added.

“But the older I got, I realised it’s a good thing.”

The Independent has contacted Usher’s team for comment.

While Usher hasn’t directly responded to The Weeknd’s interview, he has launched a #ClimaxChallenge on social media, urging others to record their own version of the song.