The Weeknd’s latest song is out, and it’s a stunning musical tribute to James Cameron’s Avatar sequel.
Titled “Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength),” the more than four-minute track is featured during Avatar: The Way of the Water‘s end credits (after being featured in its trailer) and arrives a day ahead of the movie’s official domestic Dec. 16 wide release. Written and performed by The Weeknd, and produced by Swedish House Mafia along with Simon Franglen, the track is a pounding battle call celebrating life, death and resilience.
The Weeknd teased the song Dec. 4, posting to his Instagram and Twitter a post featuring the Avatar logo with the movie’s release date as the post caption. One of the film’s producers, Jon Landau, also tweeted a photo of himself with the singer. “As the Na’vi say, ‘Zola’u nìprrte’ soaiane Avatar’… Welcome to the Avatar family,” he wrote.
The song is part of the original motion picture soundtrack, which was released Thursday and will be available on vinyl in early 2023. The album features over 20 songs, including “The Songcord,” which is performed by the movie’s star Zoë Saldaña.
The Way of Water is both set and releasing a decade after the first film, following the Sully family — Sam Worthington’s Jake Sully and Saldaña’s Neytiri as they attempt to keep themselves and their children safe by venturing into new territory on Pandora amid the reemergence of a familiar threat.
After opening internationally Wednesday, Avatar: The Way of Water grossed $15.8 million to date from 15 reported territories. The 20th Century and Disney release is expected to earn $150 million to $175 million in its domestic debut, which includes a run of 4,100 theaters.
