Kanye West has withdrawn from his Coachella performance, and The Weeknd is said to be taking his place.
Now, additional controversy is brewing behind the scenes, as organizers of the highly anticipated event attempted to stiff the "Save Your Tears" singer when he stepped in to replace the "Donda" rapper as the festival's Sunday headliner later this month.
According to Page Six, The Weeknd threatened to back out if he wasn't paid the same as Kanye, who was slated to earn $8 million plus a $500,000 production fee.
The publication also stated that the "Blinding Lights" singer was the front-runner to replace Kim Kardashian's ex-husband, who dropped out of Coachella less than two weeks ago.
Another insider informed TMZ that Kanye seemed to be ready to walk away from his commitment for quite some time after never truly preparing, as other artists did for months before taking the stage at the concert.
According to the site, the Grammy-winning rapper also had a crew in place chatting with producers, but there was still a lot of work to be done to prepare for the concert.
The event's producers and organizers were allegedly taken aback by his choice; nonetheless, he did not have a plan in place to cover his slot.
However, it has been claimed that The Weeknd and Swedish House Mafia would headline, although this is not yet confirmed.
"Even after Coachella unveiled the new lineup on Wednesday, a contract for The Weeknd, who threatened to walk out with an hour's notice if he didn't receive the same deal as Kanye, wasn't in place."
Later, it was reported that the former will be paid the same amount as Kanye for his involvement.
"Faced with the possibility of a second major artist bailing out of Coachella at the last minute, Anschutz's firm buckled and agreed to pay The Weeknd the same amount on Wednesday."
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The Weeknd Net Worth 2022
The Weeknd, whose actual name is Abel Tesfaye, is a Canadian recording artist and producer with a net worth of $300 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
He is one of the most recognizable faces in the hip-hop, rap, and R&B genres, owing to his distinct musical style.
After breaking through on YouTube, The Weeknd has sold over 70 million albums in the United States alone, and has received several honors, including three Grammys.
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