Review: The Weeknd – Starboy

Starboy is a roller coaster ride of dark pop emerging as the next chapter of The Weeknd’s artistic journey. This third studio album explores the universe he’s created for his alter ego, Starboy, seen as a deeper inner-self version of Toronto-born Abel Tesfaye. He credits the last four years with giving him the space to express himself while figuring out the success and freedom that comes with being the coolest pop artist on top. A year after Beauty Behind The Madness, The Weeknd definitely continues to have a polished evolution to his sound that is considerably less gritty than his earlier releases on the Trilogy. Evolving in a direction that feels natural and tailored for his next cosmic chapter, Starboy is anything but inauthentic. If anything, you find a true connection for where Michael Jackson left off when he made his exit as several of The Weeknd’s songs call to mind the King of Pop on this newest collection of songs. While the subject matter is dark, revealing a neurotic or claustrophobic version of his inner self in some respects, you wonder how much of his true self has become this Starboy character. Many of the themes are self-destructive and disillusioned, while other parts of his psyche battle for attention as well. He’s explained in interviews how it’s good to have darkness in his music because when the light comes, it feels that much better. And what you hear on this album truly represents that.

The production team for Starboy featured a melting pot of producers with a great collaborative effort to get the album done in his now infamous studio. The album includes diverse and broad compositions and really blends how the songs come together. A corresponding short film, Mania, includes a medley that tells the dark and twisted story of the Starboy character. Like his previous hit singles “Can’t Feel My Face” and “Love Me Harder”, many of the new songs show the risks he was willing to take as a songwriter to do something different and see if it sticks. You’ll find 80s inspired dancefloor hits from the songs he wrote with Daft Punk, including the most infectious, Michael Jackson vocal vibe single, “I Feel It Coming”, as well as the title track “Starboy”, which sets the tone. Ironically, it was while he was in the studio recording “I Feel It Coming” that he heard the music for the title track and decided he had to stop and start writing lyrics to it. Then there is his collaboration with Lana Del Rey, the female protagonist in his songwriting. One of his closest friends in the industry, their music and lyrics have always corresponded and spoken to one another, proving great chemistry and dialogue as songwriters.

Other songs move towards the other end of the spectrum with the darker tone, including “Reminder” where there is an awkward Teen Choice Awards reference, “Secrets” and “All I Know” featuring Future. “Sidewalks” is certainly a highlight as he works with Kendrick Lamar who he considers a genius, who came to the studio in the afternoon, listened to the song over and over, hammering out the verse until it was right. Overall the album includes 18 songs, a handful of which seem like versions of other songs we’ve heard before but probably like a little bit better on previous albums. But as fans will see, in a way that only time will tell over the next few years, Starboy is defining the way The Weeknd continues to lay out his vision as an artist doing his own thing.

 
Written by Mai Perkins

Originally from Los Angeles, Mai Perkins is living a genuine bona fide love affair with NYC and the music that keeps its spirit moving. While spending the majority of the last decade in Brooklyn, many of her adventures around the globe are documented on her blog: Mai On The Move! www.MaiOnTheMove.com

 
Author’s rating for Starboy

Pop Magazine’s official rating for Starboy

Rating key
MASTERPIECE a must-have
SUPERB for heavy rotation
EXCELLENT a great achievement
VERY GOOD a respectable result
GOOD worth checking out
FAIR an average outcome
WEAK not convincing stuff
BAD an underwhelming effort
VERY BAD quite a waste
FAIL a total failure