The career trajectory of The Weeknd aka Abel Tesfaye is almost unbelievable. Just five years ago he was a fairly mysterious Canadian singer who spent 2011 dropping an awesomely debauched mixtape trilogy. I distinctly remember reading an article in 2012 which anointed him as the next Michael Jackson, which seemed hilariously optimistic at the time. That comparison doesn’t seem so ridiculous now! Tesfaye is currently one of the biggest pop stars in the world, after dominating 2015 with the Jackson-in-an-opium- den ‘Can’t Feel My Face’ and the David Lynch inspired ‘The Hills’. An avowed film nerd, The Weeknd’s project has always been to reconceptualize R&B as a shadowy film noir, or a nocturnal horror. By slightly tweaking his sound, he has managed to fill stadiums with audiences eager to hear operatic tales of being a bad person. While in interviews Tesfaye’s appears to be a thoughtful and mild individual, his roguish persona has been a wildly successful money spinner.
The new Starboy doubles down on this formula. In both lyrics and length (18 songs ) it’s totally excessive. He both shamelessly brags about being a cad and seducer, and then offers to ‘Die For You’. While making songs to get the kids buying, he also carefully mentions that he is a wildly inappropriate role model ‘I’m like goddamn bitch I am not a Teen Choice’.
Some reviewers have criticized Starboy as treading water, suggesting that the Weeknd is fast seeming redundent when compared to more woke contemporaries like Beyonce (who he collaborated with this year), Kendrick Lamar (who pops by to drop a verse on this album) and Frank Ocean. Certainly, this album is way too long and drags in places, but it makes up for it with vivid production and huge choruses. In fact, criticizing The Weeknd for being unedifying seems to miss the point. In an earlier song from this year, he set out his mission statement- ‘ I’m always reppin for that low life’.When you listen to The Weeknd, you are not looking for sociopolitical gravitas, humanity or artistic depth. You want to hear borderline ridiculous tales of the low life, and taken on these terms, Starboy is another win.