The Weeknd makes one thing abundantly clear with the release of his third studio album: He’s really, really famous and he wants you to hear all about it. The musician, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, has moved on from being the life of the party to the reason it’s being held. In fact, he’s not just the reason it’s being held, he’s the holiday you’re going to observe it on. He’s bigger than life itself. He’s a star.
With Starboy, The Weeknd departs from who he was in the past — a young man with an unmistakably smooth, yet underdeveloped voice that sings about drug-induced stupors and wild sex over slick, slow beats. Instead, we get an artist on the cusp of megastardom who, upon realizing his worth, not only switches up his style several times over the course of his 18-track release, but raps about his unapologetic metamorphosis as a singer.
The title track is the most clear-cut feature of this realization, as Tesfaye opens his album with the declaration that he is “tryna put you in the worst mood.” As he brags about his successes with corrected pitch and layered and auto-tuned vocals, Tesfaye is sure he will bring controversy, as the everyday lives of his listeners are sure to pale in comparison to the lavish perks of his lifestyle. He confronts his critics immediately and makes sure they know he doesn’t care about their feelings, as he sings entirely about himself over the course of the song and the remainder of the release.
The Weeknd may be today’s biggest pop star, but you can still count on him for the good, druggy pop songs that made him famous. The album, filled with a harmonious blend of Tesfaye’s vocals and funky synthesizers, features the efforts of Martin “Doc” McKinney, a Canadian producer noticeably absent from The Weeknd’s work since the Trilogy compilation album. Yet McKinney’s influence is clear in this release, as it features creepy club bangers similar to tracks off the The Weeknd’s previous mixtapes, such as “Attention” and “Reminder.”
The album also features collaborations from other big-name artists in today’s pop music, such as Kendrick Lamar, who raps on “Sidewalks,” a bluesy, heavily auto-tuned slow jam. Lana Del Rey, sounding like her distinctly pouty self, lends her vocals on “Stargirl Interlude,” where she and The Weeknd unite for a playful, flowy anthem that asserts their effortless dominance as popstars today.
In his emulation of a larger than life performer, The Weeknd follows the example of Michael Jackson, borrowing the late dance icon’s high-pitched grunts and style. The Weeknd solidifies his own mystique, however, as he uses his delivery of sweet falsettos to combine several dark themes.
The album concludes with, “I Feel It Coming,” another collaboration with Daft Punk, where the duo’s crisply-produced beats compliment The Weeknd’s tender vocals to create a 1980s-esque, radio-friendly track. On Starboy, The Weeknd brims with supremely cool, sleek beats and a versatile production style that truly displays his growth as a performer.
3/4 Shells
