The Weeknd climbed to the top of the U.S. charts for the first time with “Can’t Feel My Face," then promptly losing his lead to the summer behemoth that is “Cheerleader." But the dude's poised to reclaim his lead in the near future, and his MTV Video Music Awards performance will do nothing but help his cause.

The R&B crooner, currently in the midst of release week for sophomore full-length Beauty Behind the Madness, descended upon the VMAs for the first—and probably not last—time, bringing his silky-smooth dance-pop track to adoring audiences, injecting a little soul into the proceedings. Get a Vine taste above.

After the VMAs' share of choreography- and props-filled performances, "Can't Feel My Face" was a refreshingly simple showing, Abel Tesfaye relying on vocals and vocals alone while Taylor Swift and her #squad rocked and swayed in the front row—hell, he even got Kanye moving. By its end, there was fire. Lots of fire. A ring of fire, we'll say.

Beauty Behind the Madness, the Weeknd’s second studio album behind 2013’s Kiss Land and the 2012 mixtape compilation Trilogy, dropped this week to general acclaim. (We know we dug the hell out of it.) Abel brought along Ed Sheeran, Lana Del Rey, Labrinth and newcomer Maty Noyes for guest spots while including production from Max Martin, Mr. Yeezus West, Illangelo and more. The record is expected to debut at No. 1 in the U.S. next week.