Post-disco musician Donny Benét has been marked as one of the artists who inspired The Weeknd’s latest album.

Benét’s track ‘Konichiwa’ was included on The Weeknd’s ‘HANDPICKED’ playlist, which highlights 24 songs that inspired ‘After Hours’, his most recent record, released on March 20.


‘Konichiwa’ was originally from Benét’s fourth record, ‘The Don’, and was released as a single in 2017. The Australian artist joins high-profile names including M83, Mark Ronson, Hall & Oates and Elton John.

Benét’s forthcoming album, ‘Mr Experience’, will be released on May 22 via Dot Dash/Remote Control. Two singles have already been released from the record, ‘Girl Of My Dreams’ and ‘Second Dinner’. The announcement came hand-in-hand with a quirky YouTube video sharing the album’s details. Following a string of shows in the UK and Europe throughout May, Benét will be touring Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne in June.

READ MORE: Donny Benét announces Australian tour and new album

In a statement, Benét said ‘Mr Experience’ was inspired by the stylings of Bryan Ferry and Hiroshi Yoshimura, and in order to produce the record, he “envisioned the soundtrack to a dinner party set in the late 1980s”.

Benét was slated to perform at Meadow music festival in Bambra, however, the event was cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak. In lieu of his festival appearance, Benét will be doing a live-streamed performance on Saturday March 28 at 10am AEDT.