The Weeknd fan who broke record with lyrics knowledge says star's music saved her life
A dedicated fan of The Weeknd proved her devotion to him by passing the ultimate song quiz.
Karla O’Brien (USA) became the first ever record holder for the most The Weeknd songs identified from their lyrics in one minute with an impressive total of 31.
The minimum had been set at 25.
Karla, 21, a college senior in Virginia, decided to take on the record after her friends joked about her being the world’s biggest The Weeknd fan.
Karla at one of The Weeknd's concerts
She’s been a fan of the singer – real name Abel Tesfaye – for over a decade.
She listens to his music every single day, whether she’s driving, at the gym or relaxing at home, and admits she knows it so well she didn’t really need to practise for her record attempt.
“I’ve known every lyric of every Weeknd song for so many years and it’s really just second nature to me,” she told us.
“My friends love to quiz me because I can also identify any Weeknd song by sound within the first one or two seconds.”
She continued: “I started listening to Abel’s music in middle school. I became a fan very late into the Kiss Land era but always wish I knew about him earlier during the Trilogy days.
“Every era is so different from the previous one and that’s why I fell in love with his music, every new chapter tells a different story and the way it all unfolds is just so beautiful. His music just makes sense, every song sounds like it belongs in its chapter so perfectly.”
It’s clear millions of people feel the same way as Karla, as The Weeknd was named the artist with the most monthly listeners on Spotify last year.
Karla says The Weeknd’s music means way more to her than it just being songs she likes to listen to.
She said: “Abel’s music got me through my hardest times growing up, looking forward to new music always kept me going.
“In 2020, his After Hours album was the reason I was able to get through the pandemic, I couldn’t wait to see him on tour and I always had that to look forward to. During COVID, while bored at home, I also made artwork and edits and got reposted by The Weeknd on X and Instagram multiple times.
Karla at the After Hours tour in Lisbon
“I began a weight loss journey in late 2021 and I lost 70 pounds in six months, every time I went to the gym I only listened to The Weeknd because it motivated me like nothing else.”
Karla has seen the “Blinding Lights” singer in concert three times officially, but jokes that she was once treated to her own private gig.
She explained: “I have seen The Weeknd live three (technically four) times, twice in 2022 in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., and once in 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal. I saved my money and flew to Europe just to be able to go to another concert and let me tell you why it was totally worth it.
“I joke that I’ve seen him live four times because in Lisbon his concert was going to take place at Algés which is on a beach. Two days before the concert, I showed up to take a look at the venue, little did I know Abel would be on stage about to rehearse the entire setlist.
“The first song or two I jumped and screamed hoping he would see me from the beach and my wish came true, he then looked at me and we sang every single word of every song together, including “Popular”, a song that was only two days old at the time.”
Karla held up a sign to tell The Weeknd his music saved her life
Someone from The Weeknd’s team went over to Karla to make sure she had a ticket for the show, and of course she couldn’t wait to hear it all again.
She added: “The concert I went to in D.C. was a full circle moment because I was front row and held up a poster that said, 'Your music saved my life. Thank you, Abel.'
About halfway through the set he pointed to me and said ‘And you saved my life, thank you’ that was truly the best moment of my life and words can’t describe how much that meant to me.
“At every concert I’ve been to I’ve been able to experience it front row and have been fortunate enough to sing with him. Those are moments I’ll cherish forever and the times I’ve seen him live are easily the best nights of my life.”
Karla says she has two favourite songs: “Nothing Compares” that helped her through tough times in COVID and “The Party and the After Party” which she believes is one of the best songs of all time.
After getting the Guinness World Records book every year, Karla says she dreamt of one day becoming a record holder.
And what could be more special for her than to earn a record based on her love of The Weeknd?
One day, she’d love to meet the star so she can tell him how much his music has impacted her life.
“I speak for many fans when I say his music saved my life,” she reiterated.
Karla during her attempt
Karla added: “To anybody out there who loves The Weeknd too or has a favourite artist whose music kept you going through tough times or maybe even saved your life, don’t be ashamed to celebrate life through music.
“Music can have such a big impact on somebody and I’ve come to realize that music can truly heal.”
Fellow music superfan Bilal Ilyas Jhandir set the record for most Taylor Swift songs identified from their lyrics in one minute with a total of 34.