Ever since Abel Tesfaye catapulted into cult critical acclaim in 2011, it has been challenging to differentiate between the man with origins from Scarborough, Ontario and the artist birthed from Toronto’s downtown life who goes by the name of The Weeknd. A smoky haze of mystery surrounded The Weeknd in his breakout year when he released three widely celebrated mixtapes in House Of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes Of Silence. The meshing of The Weeknd’s angelic crooning of late night debauchery and a dark molding of moody atmospheric production created by Illangelo and Doc McKinney made a monumental impact on ‘alternative R&B’ music. However, if the past few years have proved anything, it is that The Weeknd is bound by no musical classifications; it is his goal to take his variety of influences and use them to build his own self-defining genre. The transition from unknown Drake-cosigned talent to globally recognized celebrity, with enough pull to premiere his single “Can’t Feel My Face” at Apple’s WWDC conference, has been a remarkable journey to witness. And after evaluating The Weeknd’s recent artistic trajectory and his latest records, it is becoming more and more evident that his next album will be a career-defining body of work.
The Weeknd’s music has always been fueled by documentations of emotionally driven escapades on a never-ending road in search of pleasure (or numbing pain) in the midst of noncommittal relationships. His lyrics have eloquently described this wild lifestyle with metaphorical messages personifying love, drug intake, and his rise in fame. The contrasting feelings of confidence/low self-esteem and romantic indifference/heartbreak captured the hearts and minds of The Weeknd’s diehard fan-base that worship the Trilogy as an epic life-changing masterpiece. But after the release of his official debut studio album Kiss Land, which had a live-friendly worldly appeal yet was met with mixed reviews, Abel aficionados were faced with the uncertainty of what was in store for the future. A fair share of rap-centric features and trap-influenced promotional singles (“Often”, “KOTF”) pleased the more open-minded crowd yet worried Trilogy adorers, but it wasn’t until September of last year that we received a true telling sign of The Weeknd’s artistic direction.
Nobody would have ever thought in 2011 that The Weeknd would collaborate with a singer such as Ariana Grande. But that is exactly what happened with the release of smash-hit “Love Me Harder”, a celebrated duet filled with sexual double entendres and an undeniable chemistry between the two Republic signed artists (which was no coincidence). The Weeknd found himself in uncharted territory on the radio with his cleverly composed feature, and he hasn’t relinquished his spot on the charts since then. The Toronto singer found even more success with “Earned It”, the heavily promoted lead single from the soundtrack of box-office leader Fifty Shades Of Grey. The catchy, orchestral song proved to be a perfect match for the film as The Weeknd took on a less explicit tone, wavering between classy and predatorial in its content. These two offerings introduced The Weeknd in a whole new light to a more general audience, and now there is a diverse set of eyes on Abel as he gets set to rollout his “third chapter”.
From now until eternity, The Weeknd will be presented with the common struggle of staying true to his original sound yet also evolving as an artist in order to reach new heights. This dilemma is brought to life on “The Hills” (prod. DJ Mano & Illangelo), his booming single which saw much praise at both SXSW and Coachella. A proper introduction of The Weeknd’s darker subject matter for his newly acquired fans, the track was matched with a dramatic set of concept-driven visuals that accurately describe Abel’s current situation. As The Weeknd’s car crashes and he prepares to metaphorically leave the indie life behind him (which is what the two visibly upset girls represent), Abel stumbles up the hills of California to his new house and a room filled with three characters who represent both his past that he can’t escape (the girls) as well as his official acceptance into the mainstream (the mysterious man).
This naturally leads into The Weeknd’s newest buzzing single “Can’t Feel My Face”, a bonafide pop track that is already making its way onto radio stations across the country. While The Weeknd continues the drug/love addiction trend from a lyrical perspective, the song has an upbeat and lively feel to it with the likes of Max Martin, Peter Svensson, and Ali Payami behind the boards. Between the groovy/funky vibes and Abel’s clearly inspired by Michael Jackson delivery, “Can’t Feel My Face” will undoubtedly be a prime summer selection while also having a polarizing effect on day 1 XO fans…and this is what makes The Weeknd’s upcoming album such an interesting study.
It is clear that Abel has a calculated vision with enough ambition and God-given talent to accomplish his goals. The Weeknd consistently teases us on social media and has never been the type to spoon-feed his audience. But after these recent releases and a number of other leaked tracks, it is safe to say that there are more pop inspired tracks on the way. However, it is already known that The Weeknd has been working with both his original producers (Illangelo & Doc McKinney) as well as some exciting potential prospects such as Stephen Moccio, Mike Dean, Travi$ Scott, and (God willing) Kanye West. These blending of sounds should result in a progressive body of work that will flourish if it can properly incorporate the best qualities of The Weeknd’s wide-ranging ability (both old and new), which he has now put on full display. By taking the time to fine-tune his craft and build up his name, The Weeknd has the potential to deliver one of 2015’s more striking efforts that could prove to be a culmination of his artistic journey. It may not be what we want, but it could very well be what the music industry needs.