The Weeknd has released the music video for ‘Nothing is Lost (You Give Me Strength)’.
The song is lifted from the soundtrack of James Cameron’s Avatar sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, which was released in cinemas last month.
The accompanying video, directed by Quentin Deronzier, is set largely within the film’s fictional Pandora landscape, with brief glimpses of The Weeknd shrouded in embers. Later in the clip, the Na’vi inhabitants are forced to evacuate into the ocean as a fire approaches. Watch that below:
‘Nothing is Lost (You Give Me Strength)’ was produced by frequent The Weeknd collaborators Swedish House Mafia, along with Avatar’s score composer Simon Franglen. The Weeknd first teased his involvement in the blockbuster soundtrack in early December, before releasing it a day ahead of Avatar’s premiere on December 15.
Discussing the track in an interview with Hollywood Reporter last week, The Weeknd said: “The best part about writing the song was getting notes from James [Cameron] and making sure that all the lyrics and the tones fit the themes of the film”.
The Weeknd’s previous soundtrack contributions have included ‘Earned It’ for the 2015 film Fifty Shades of Grey, and the Kendrick Lamar-assisted ‘Pray For Me’ for 2018’s Black Panther.
In another onscreen venture, The Weeknd also co-created, co-wrote, executive produced and leads the cast of The Idol, an HBO drama series co-starring Lily-Rose Depp and set for release later this year. Euphoria creator Sam Levinson also co-created and directed the series.
Last month, ‘Nothing is Lost (You Give Me Strength)’ was named on the shortlist for Best Original Song for this year’s Academy Awards. The Weeknd appeared on the list alongside Rihanna (for her Black Panther: Wakanda Forever single ‘Lift Me Up’) and Lady Gaga (for her Top Gun: Maverick contribution ‘Hold My Hand’), among others.
In a four-star review of Avatar: The Way of Water, NME described the sequel as “bigger, bolder and definitely better than the original”. The film stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver and Kate Winslet, among others.