A Lesser Man was teased as a surprise performance in Horsens, Denmark, as part of the second leg of The Weeknd’s After Hours Til Dawn Tour. The song was created for the HBO show The Idol, which The Weeknd is the co-creator and co-writer of, alongside Sam Levinson and others. The Weeknd also stars in the series as club owner Tedros.
The song was released as a single on June 19, 2023, alongside Take Me Back and Get It B4 by Moses Sumney, who plays Izaak in the show.