The Beauty Behind the (Weeknd)

Fans(myself included) are reeling at the edge of their seats to hear the Weeknds
upcoming album Starboy. Whats the big deal? one might ask or, The Weeknd is overrated,
others might say, but people fail to realize that he is a true, unique music artist, unlike many
other ungifted, auto-tuned artists today. Due to his previous work and reputation for
incorporating a variety of music genres and artists, fans are keeping their hopes high for Starboy;
and they have every right to do so. The Weeknd has a tendency to surprise his fans by teaming
up with other major artists, drawing in more adoration from listeners. His music style is a fusion
of R&B, jazz, soul, and pop with twist of mystery that can hardly compare with any other music
artist today. His music isnt just catchy but more so lures you in to truly listen to the lyrics that
are infused within the seduction of the tune. Many people fail to realize that The Weeknd has a
distinct, captivating music style and reputation that makes him so unique in comparison to other
leading artists today.
For one thing, the Weeknd is a giver; a true, loving, and consistent giver. He never fails to
be a real music artist because he is always producing more music and trying to create something
better than his previous work. He doesnt take long breaks vacationing in the Bahamas for a
century like Lady Gaga who has just come out from living under a friggin rock for six years.
There was a time long ago when Lady Gaga was the countrys music icon for pop music
however it seemed that she thought she deserved to take a long break after one successful album
and pick up her music career whenever she felt like it, but boy was she wrong. The statistics
show that The older album sold 260,000 copies in its first week. Joanne came in at 160K total
for the opening week, proving that her new album Joanne has not gained nearly the amount of
attention her previous albums did about six years ago, mostly because to the rest of the world,
she died (Friedman).

But that is not the case for the Weeknd. He

consistently rewards his fans by creating new music for
them to fall in love with. In 2012, he released his album
Trilogy and in 2013 he released Kissland. In 2014 he
released House of Balloons along with his infamous duet
with Ariana Grande Love Me Harder, which brings us
to present-day Weeknd. Last August, he dropped The
Beauty Behind the Madness which consists of his songs
Cant Feel My Face and The Hills that are still, after
over a year, one of the most played songs on the radio, and even though at this point it may be
considered annoying, most people will admit that these hits are
quite the sing-alongs. In addition to this successful album, he
also contributed to the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack; one of
the most highly anticipated movies in history (Fifty Shades).
Yes, we all know that Fifty Shades of Grey is a porno in a
movie theater but of course the Weeknd would contribute to the
soundtrack of such a movie because his music is probably one
of the most seductive, mesmerizing sounds human ears have
ever had the pleasure of hearing. And now, keeping up with his
reputation to please his listeners with new jams, he is releasing
Starboy next week. And that, my friends, is one of the reasons
the Weeknd stands out compared to most music artists: he uses his success as motivation to top
his previous music instead of hibernating in god knows what for a few years, inspiring am I
right? I am not saying he is the only artist who is consistent but he is definitely one out of the
rare species.
Another unique factor of the Weeknd is that he
tends to surprise fans by pairing up with other popular
artists, even with artists that listeners would never expect to
be featured in his album. For instance, in The Beauty
Behind the Madness he teamed up with Lana del Rey, an
artist of an icy, alternative music style, and Ed Sheeran, an
irresistible romantic songwriter. I mean come on people, its
Lana and Ed: two great artists plus the Weeknd equals
perfection. Like Rupal Mehta states on Prisoner, With
an odd pairing between American artist Lana Del Rey and
The Weeknd, Prisoner closes out the features
on BBTM. This man is an all-rounded musical genius
who will only get greater with time. The contrast between the Weeknd and artists like Lana del
Rey and Ed Sheeran offer intense, hypnotizing music that appeals to an even broader audience
that captures Lana and Ed fans as well. In his albums Trilogy and Kissland he teams up with the
infamous Drake to draw in a bigger crowd since Drakes fan-base is so large. Working with
Drake in not only one of his albums but also two, is definitely a surprise that we Weeknd fans
appreciate.
Speaking of Drake, he is an artist that does not expand his horizons too much when it
comes to teaming up with other artists. Now, dont get me wrong, I do not mean this in a bad
way but just that he makes the Weeknd seem unique because he is very open-minded when it

comes to producing music. But, whom Drake usually works with does not come to too much of a
surprise to his fans. In other words, he leans toward working with others that fall under the same
music genre as him such as Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Birdman, and Rihanna(Wow,
shocking!). Although Rihanna is not considered a rapper, he has a reputation for teaming up with
her. In his album Take Care she was featured in Take Care and in Views she was featured in
Too Good. Also, Drake was featured in her album ANTI in the infamous Work. Once again,
this isnt a bad thing, but in comparison to the Weeknd, he seems ordinary. The Weeknd keeps us
on our toes because we can never expect whom he will feature in his next album. For all we
know, he could have a song with John Meyer or Luke Bryan in Starboy.
Along with his surprises, the Weeknd lures in listeners with his mysterious and twisted,
yet silky and mesmerizing melodies that differs from most pop culture artists today. His music
does not fit just one genre but numerous ones. He intertwines jazz, soul, R&B and of course his
most recent twist, pop. Last years The Beauty Behind the Madness differed from his other music
because he found a new calling in pop that he decided to incorporate into his album. According
to Andrew Ryce, a contributor to Pitchfork, on The Beauty Behind the Madness, Everything we
know about the Weeknd is here: the dark, mysterious production where contemporary R&B rubs
elbows with post-punk and shoegaze; the lascivious lyrics that swing between menacing and
laughable; and, most of all, Tesfaye's sinuous vocal melodies. As he continues to develop as an
artist, he emerges from his dark R&B shadow to the mainstream pop spotlight, attracting even
more listeners. At this rate, he is only gaining more popularity as he appeals to a broader
audience and it is because he is literally
seducing them with his music.
From what we can tell, the Weeknd will
be continuing with his newfound interest in pop
in Starboy because of his two newly released
songs: Starboy and False Alarm. Weeknd
fans would be lying if they said they were
disappointed with both of them, all biases aside.
He continues with this alluring, deep, R&B soul
intertwined with a touch of pop. His lyrics in
"Starboy reveal the same emotional and
mesmerizing appeal Weeknd listeners adore so
much. Starboy provides the perfect
foreshadowing for a successful album because it
correlates with his music style and has hit the
top of the charts: It is his first solo effort since
the chart topping heights of The Hills and
Cant Feel My Face and marks a departure from the tropes that defined his earlier
work(Hameed). It is also a song that includes a surprise for listeners because he features Daft
Punk to encompass the pop aspect of his music, making it another catchy tune that will be not
only be our first song choice on our playlists, but the radios too. False Alarm foreshadows the
pop twist that is incorporated in his new album since his previous album earned reviews that
favored this new aspect of his music style. Just like The Beauty Behind the Madness and even his
other previous albums, there is no doubt that Starboy will encompass this same addictive music
style that makes him so extraordinary.

So, I guess you can say the Weeknd is overrated, but he sure as hell has every right to be.
Honestly, the guy is a true inspiration because you can easily tell he takes his music career very
seriously and hes not just in it for the fame and fortune. He has a uniqueness that distinguishes
him from the rest, earning him a well-deserved fondness from his listeners. We can expect his
usual surprises in his upcoming collection of mysteriously intoxicating soundtracks. I will not
doubt that Starboy will be played on repeat on all of our phones because the Weeknd has a gift
for providing us with porn for our ears.
By: Gianna Bevacqua
Context Note:
This document is intended for both Weeknd fans and anti-Weeknd fans to prove why the Weeknd
is unique among other artists. Weeknd fans are usually listeners of a younger generation ranging
from teenagers to early thirties and anti-Weeknd fans can be any hater whether it is a parent or a
stubborn teenager. A secondary audience would be anyone who has significant knowledge about
music. This document would be posted to a music blog or even more specifically a Weeknd blog.
Also, this document could be published in an entertainment magazine or even on the
Cosmopolitan, MTV, and iheartradio Snapchat stories by generalizing my reasons as to why the
Weeknd is so unique.

Works Cited
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2016.
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