The Weeknd will make an appearance at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards.
The global superstar is set to attend the tenth iteration of the awards show on May 23 in Tokyo, Japan, where he’ll present the award for Anime of the Year.
“When I was first introduced to anime, I was a child. Sailor Moon was one of my first crushes, Goku my first imaginary sparring partner, and ‘One More Time’ by Daft Punk was a song and music video I couldn’t get out of my head,” The Weeknd said in a statement.
“But it wasn’t until my teenage years that one specific anime changed me forever and became part of the fabric of my early career: Samurai Champloo by Shinichiro Watanabe,” he continued. “It was the first time I experienced two of my favorite mediums—anime and hip hop—blending so seamlessly that it completely reshaped the way I watched film and listened to music.”
He also credited Watanabe and Nujabes, whose music appears in Samurai Champloo, as the force behind his debut mixtape, House of Balloons.
“That influence stayed with me all the way through the creation of House of Balloons, where I wrote ‘The Morning,’ ‘Glass Table Girls,’ and ‘Loft Music’ over Nujabes’ instrumentals. Without Watanabe and Nujabes, House of Balloons simply wouldn’t exist.” Abel Tesfaye added, “So it’s safe to say I wouldn’t be here without anime. It’s an honor to celebrate the artists behind it and a medium that continues to inspire the world.”
Fans can cast their votes for their favorite anime across 32 categories, including for the Anime of the Year. Voting is currently open via the Anime Awards Official Website, Crunchyroll, and MyAnimeList through 11:59 PM PT on April 15.
