Mike Dean and The Weeknd have developed a strong relationship over the past year. In the summer of 2022, Dean served as the opener for The Weeknd’s “After Hours Til Dawn Tour,” as he would play DJ sets at each show.
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During this time, Dean and The Weeknd would also release the “Starry Eyes (MIKE DEAN remix),” which saw Dean put together a new composition for the 11th song on The Weeknd’s 2022 album Dawn FM.
Now, it seems that The Weeknd will be co-executive producing Dean’s upcoming studio album 4:23, set to release on Friday (April 28). The Weeknd officially broke the news on Sunday night (April 23), tweeting out the 4:23 album cover.
Along with this announcement, The Weeknd confirmed that a song he previewed on Instagram Live Sunday will also make the album. In the snippet, The Weeknd’s shouted vocals are backed by an epic instrumental from Dean. After first claiming he would not put the song out, he backtracked and asserted it would land on the 4:23 track list.
“The ‘mysterious’ artist gag been played out since back in 2011 house of balloon days,” The Weeknd wrote on Twitter. “We gonna drop it on mike Dean album.”
Dean’s previous albums like SMOKE STATE 42222 (2022) and 4:22 (2021) have mostly just consisted of instrumentals, where his synths and powerful guitar playing would take center stage. However, now with The Weeknd in the fold, this new Dean LP will potentially contain more vocal performances.
Before their friendship grew stronger during the Dawn FM era, Dean and The Weeknd collaborated a handful of times. Songs like “Tell Your Friends” (2015), Kanye West’s “Hurricane” (2021), and “Moth to a Flame” with Swedish House Mafia (2021) all saw The Weeknd’s vocals combined with Dean producing or mixing. Additionally, Dean helped produce The Weeknd’s most recent track “Double Fantasy” with Future, which is the lead single for The Weeknd’s upcoming The Idol soundtrack.
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