The Weeknd looks to raise $1 billion backed by his music

The Weeknd is in talks to raise about $1 billion of financing backed by some of his music rights, according to people familiar with the matter.

In one scenario that’s been considered, the singer would use his stake in his music publishing rights as collateral, as well as his share of the master recordings of the songs, said one of the people, all of whom asked not to be identified discussing private information. Discussions are ongoing and a deal may not materialize.

New York-based private equity firm Lyric Capital Group is in discussions with the singer and has reached out to other investors to line up $1 billion of financing, said some of the people.

If completed, the deal would be among the largest ever in the music rights space, which has attracted significant interest from investme