The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye) is a Candian singer who has hit the music industry by storm, with his wild sense of a warped reality, sadistic lyrics and jarring musical arrangements. While he is still an upcoming artist, he has appealed to a very specific group of people due to his dark style of R&B (namely, PBR&B) and his “dangerous” public image.
He appeals to a younger crowd (14 – late 20s) as they can relate to his insightful lyrics. His voice has been compared to that of the great Michael Jackson and The Weeknd has sung a version of Jackson’s “Dirty Dianna.”
The music itself is based on slow tempos, rumbling bass and echoes, thus creating a “darker” feel to the music. His music also had Arabic influence. The sounds create a feeling of saddness: a certain feeling of nothingness and a hollow emptiness. And to envoke such emotions within his fans is an amazing achievement for any artist. Due to his specialised style, The Weeknd is far from commercial, and therefore has not yet appealed to various audiences, however only to a group of people with certain interests and a special taste in music.
When analysing a song, lyrics play an important role in how the listener percieves the actual song itself. With regards to The Weeknd, lyrics play an even larger role in the structure of the song. His lyrics are dark and emotional with many dimensions and a depth of substance and meaning. He writes about depression, darkness, drugs and sex. (Among many other areas of subject matter)
On reflection, The Weeknd’s music style, persona and depth will be the future determining factors of R&B and even as extensively as music as a whole. He is the future of the music industry and at the rate he is going, no one will be able to stop him, or beat him, because he has created the game.
XO
Pratistha Singh
DrummersBeatit 