The new Michael Jackson. The king of R&B. There are several terminologies associated with the artist Abel Tesfaye, popularly know by his moniker ‘The Weeknd’. I know him just as my favorite artist right now.
The Toronto born Eithiopian-Canadian R&B legend had recently launched the song ‘Take my breath’ from his upcoming album ‘The Dawn is coming’, which has been making waves throughout the world of music. And I’ve been listening to it since the day it was released, adding it to the list of his other hits I’ve enjoyed.
The first time I heard an Abel song was on the radio while driving in McLean, Virginia in evening in 2015. It was the haunting song ‘The Hills’ which sounded almost unreal. I had never seen the face and never heard the name when the song came on. How would I? I had come from India and was accustomed to bollywood and indipop music. I knew of American legends such as Eminem and other famous pop artists, and some rock music owing to a friend who introduced me to it. But this was a rare gem that I heard, a very different sort of music. It was unlike American pop music I knew of, and seemed to reflect vulnerability and pure desire. And without regret for the same, as if stating a fact.
The next song I heard of his took me by surprise. It was titled ‘Starboy’ from his album ‘Starboy’. The Weeknd had changed his trademark palm tree hair look to shorter hair, and the music seemed much more upbeat and pop, then his last album. The song had a lot of braggadocio and sick beat unlike the song I heard before, and lot more confidence. It also introduced me to the legendary French robot duo ‘Daft Punk’. I do consider it to be my favorite album till date.
Of course then, the heartbreaking EP ‘My dear Melancholy’ song ‘Call out my name’ showed a great vocal range and tilted more to the low in relationships than a party vibe.
I felt the latest ‘After hours’ album truly illustrated a story and filmmaking ability of The Weeknd. From a night out in Vegas in ‘Blinding lights’ to horror themed ‘In your eyes’ and ending an era with different versions of ‘Save your tears’, including Ariana Grande, it showed the revival of 80’s disco that uplifted my mood, especially in times of COVID 19.
I would call myself a reverse The Weeknd fan, who got to know of his earlier bright works later, that continue to shine and bring his fans together. Songs from the albums ‘Kissland’ and ‘Trilogy’(compilation of his three mixtapes’House of Balloons’, ‘Thursday’ and ‘Echoes of Silence’) do truly reflect the early, darker and edgier Abel, that drew the attention and love of many music lovers and are the pride of hardcore ‘XO’(his label) fans. ‘Belong to the world’ and ‘Wicked Games’ from the two respectively, are amongst my favorites.
The artist’s achievements of nominations and awards from Grammys to Oscar nomination for ‘50 shades of Grey’ are significant, but mere companions in the journey that is leading to an almost mythical status, like Michael Jackson or Prince. Perhaps that is why so many comparisons are drawn b/w Abel and these greats, even referring The Weekend to as a reincarnation of Michael.
If I were to mention my other favorite Abel songs, the list would go on and on.
What does differentiate Abel to me from other artists is the ability to turn feelings of sadness, addiction, loss and vulnerability into something beautiful, as if the existence of these feelings is not to be ashamed of, but celebrated.
As Shakespeare’s once wrote ‘What’s in a name?’, it’s significance definitely applies to ‘The Weeknd’. Though the name is not his real name, it is a vibe. And even if you didn’t know his real name, his angelic voice is instantly recognizable.
And that is enough to recognize a G.O.A.T. That is all that matters.
