Soon, the Weeknd’s incomparable, House of Balloons debut mixtape will be a decade old. The Scarborough-raised singer, Abel Tesfaye, famously known as the Weeknd, is a worldwide performer that has seen global success, myriads of chart-topping singles, and Grammy Award–winning albums.
The Weeknd’s high-flying vocals are instantly recognisable but that isn’t a deterrent for the 30-year-old singer, whose chameleonic ability to transform his sound and stage persona throughout his established career has made him an unshakable force in the music industry.
From the cyber-pop hits of Starboy to the cinematic yet hypnotic body-electric tracks in his most recent fourth studio album, After Hours, the Weeknd is a modern-day renaissance man with the targeted trajectory of becoming the most influential artist in the world.
Abel’s enthralling voice is capable of breaking through the constraints of any musical genre. With a discography that extends over 40 records, the Weeknd is the funky aficionado of 2020 and has an innate timeless voice that has earned him record-breaking placements. “Blinding Lights” is the Weeknd’s most successful single, peaking at the top of 34 music charts in various countries including Canada, Sweden, Norway, Italy and New Zealand. Following closely, the artist’s forthcoming single ‘In Your Eyes’ has nearly half a billion streams on Spotify showcasing the pervasiveness of the Weeknd’s global popularity.
Since the Weeknd’s emergence into the ever-changing world of R&B he has pioneered his own sound, defying the restrictions of genre by fusing pop, hip hop, and the sultriness of R&B together. In 2012, the Weeknd released Trilogy which became a platinum-selling record for the young artist. The LP included three successful mixtapes—Thursday, House of Balloons, and Echoes of Silence- that sparked the beginning of the hyper-zealous XO fanbase. The major turning point in the Weeknd’s early career came with the release of House of Balloons- singles include ‘Wicked Games’ and High For This’, both receiving platinum status by the RIAA. Many critics identified the Weeknd as being a pivotal artist who changed the landscape of R&B, proving to other artists that being able to navigate seamlessly through music genres is important for an artist’s longevity and legacy.
In 2015, the Weeknd’s Beauty Behind the Madness studio album received multi-platinum recognition, proving that the Weeknd is destined to become a mainstay in the American music industry. The Weeknd received diamond status for the very first time with his sensational single ‘The Hills’. The singer’s production credits for his second studio album include notable producers Kanye West, Max Martin and Labrinth. This collaborative concoction of musical geniuses demonstrates why the Canadian artist’s catalogue is so extraordinary.
In a global pandemic that has heavily impacted the city of Los Angeles and the entire music industry, the Weeknd was persistent in delivering his latest album, After Hours, to his fans. Under Republic Records and his XO collective, the Weeknd released After Hours on March 20, in the midst of the hysteria that COVID-19 induced in most (if not all) Americans. Despite the environmental shift that caused the entire world to go silent and into self-isolation, the Weeknd’s After Hours continued to rise in vast popularity and viral consumption. In the album’s first week of release, After Hours debuted at #1 in the United States and thrived internationally. Even though the Weeknd pushed his scheduled After Hours world tour to summer 2021 to comply with coronavirus health regulations, his album managed to break records and set new ones while facing the pressure of civil unrest, the pandemic and the election.
The Weeknd agreed to speak with tmrw Magazine on the immense exhilaration he feels over the unanticipated global success of After Hours. Virtually conducted, the interview shares sentiments regarding ‘Blinding Lights’, the introductory single that preceded After Hours’official release date in March.
“To be able to do a song that sounds refreshing for its time while becoming the biggest song of the year has been incredible. ‘Blinding Lights’ sounds nothing like anything else on the radio so that has really stuck out to me. Having continued success with charts and accolades during such tumultuous times has left me so thankful,” the Weeknd emphasises.
Outside from the gleaming success of “Blinding Lights,” the Weeknd’s visuals behind the music video directed by Anton Tammi were even more nostalgically-astounding. The Martin Scorsese-inspired video takes the viewer out on a reckless night in Las Vegas that evidently takes a twisted turn through the Weeknd’s vivid mind under-the-influence.
The infamous red-suited character starring in all the music videos surrounding After Hours’ grand release and the press surrounding the album is vital to the storytelling. The Weeknd elaborates on what inspired the memorable yet stylised persona in the “Blinding Lights” music video and how the character is becoming an iconic figure in pop culture similar to the Weeknd’s unique hair style prior to the release of Starboy.
“The main inspirations for my persona with After Hours have been Sammy Davis Jr, Richard Pryor, Nicholas Cage in Leaving Las Vegas,Johnny Depp in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Jim Carrey in The Mask.”
Whenever I try to describe the Weeknd’s sound, the first adjective that comes to mind is ‘cinematic’, whether it is Starboy being the perfect score to a sci-fi heist film or his debut album Trilogy being layered over a fast-paced action romance. The Weeknd has definitely mastered the sound and art of orchestrated suspense. The artist’s vocal range was notably inspired by the music of his heritage and cultural roots, heavily influenced by his immigrant parents coming to Canada from Ethiopia.
“My natural singing voice was inspired and shaped by Ethiopian music. The older I got, I was exposed to more music, and my voice became a chameleon going into different characters with each album. By following my own path and breaking industry norms, it seems to be influencing others.”
Outside from the Weeknd’s musical triumphs, the Scarborough native has altruistically donated $1 million to coronavirus relief efforts, specifically to frontline medical professionals within the Scarborough Health Network. The Weeknd interjects: “I try to inspire rich people to give back to communities who need it.”
Throughout the United States, most Americans experienced a palpable cultural shift during this historically difficult time period. Whether that stemmed from COVID-19 or the senseless acts of police brutality, the entire world came to an utter halt. The Weeknd truly found the silver lining in his own quarantine, stating that, “I made After Hours before COVID-19. I have been more inspired and creative during the pandemic than I might normally be while on the road. It is hard for me to be creative on tour so I am not complaining about this pause in the live shows. The pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement and the tensions of the election have mostly created a sense of gratitude for what I have and closeness with the people near me.” He further elaborates on how enthusiastic he is to return to live performances. “The fans will have lived with the songs for so long that it’s going to be exciting to hear them sing back the other album cuts as strongly as ‘Blinding Lights’. It will be interesting to balance the After Hours songs with the music I’m working on now.”
The Weeknd’s 2020 VMAs performance showed musicians how they can wholeheartedly scale(or soar to) new heights if they put their fears to the test. Towering over all of New York City, the Weeknd performed ‘Blinding Lights’ on the highest sky deck in the western hemisphere. With his two feet firmly planted on the Edge building’s observation platform at Hudson Yards, the Weeknd belted out the chorus to his most popular single alongside the dazzling landscape of the New York City skyline. The performance ended with a firework spectacle that illuminated the makeshift stage the Weeknd stood fearlessly on.
“It was terrifying. The helicopters were really close to me and it took so much concentration to stay on pitch due to their noise. The wind from the choppers was so strong that it felt as if I could get blown right off the building,” the Weeknd frightfully remembers.
While appraising the Weeknd’s extensive list of milestones and record-setting tendencies throughout his musical career, he proudly asserts that After Hours is, in fact, hisbest work. “If I retired right now I would feel like my body-of-work was complete.”
“I was laser focused back then and I’m laser focused right now. This has been the story of my 20s. I feel like I spent the last 10 years creating a sound and most of my career I’ve either been running away from it or duplicating it. After Hours was the perfect piece of art for me to show my tenure in the industry.”
The Weeknd resists the limitations of artistic complacency. His experimental projects that have gone on to become significant moments in music history and culture are pronounced enough to highlight the success of every major turning point in his career. The Weeknd concludes his conversation with tmrwmagazine with: “I’m always looking to evolve and sometimes it doesn’t go over because people are tied to their expectations and want what is familiar.