To distance himself from his previous persona, he made the bold move to cancel a summer tour of Beauty Behind The Madness to focus on this new version of himself. Which, to an artist like Abel, only meant one thing – the dreads had to go.Ībel’s music and personality also took a sharp turn. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal Abel spoke about how everyone around him told him he couldn’t cut the hair because it was “his whole thing”. Although, that’s the exact reasons behind why the Starboy look came about. Abel made the radical decision to discard a part of his look that was instantly recognisable and a personal trademark. The new persona was a stark contrast to XO in many ways. Starboy was the face of Abel’s music from 2016 to 2018 on his album Starboy and EP My Dear Melancholy. In overtly symbolic fashion, the new version of The Weeknd – Starboy – breaks into the XO’s house at the start of the self titled video clip, taking him hostage and finally suffocating him, before going on a rampage through the house tearing down accolades and memorabilia of the former persona. This dramatic change came following the sudden disappearance of all traces of his XO self from social media prior to the Starboy album release, when he wiped his Instagram completely clean. In 2016 the XO persona of The Weeknd ‘died’, and with his death came the birth of a new persona, Starboy. Definitely best enjoyed with headphones unless you want to risk a few raised eyebrows from people around you. If you’re listening to these for the first time, or revisiting some favourites, a gentle heads up that these are NSFW. Tell Your Friends – Beauty Behind The Madness
House of Balloons/Glass Table Girls – Trilogy Part I Over the three albums the XO persona touched, here are some of the top tracks that help capture this version of the Weeknd’s alter ego best: A twisted set of dreads that made Able hard to miss, and what became an iconic trademark of the XO look. Jean-Michel Basquiat, a New York graffiti artist prolific in the 80s (seen below), was a key inspiration for the XO’s unforgettable aesthetic, the hair. Michael Jackson has been one of the most prominent influences for him, which was clearly evident in some of his work such as like “D.D” (Dirty Diana) and “I Can’t Feel My Face”, with both tracks delivering the iconic vocals and musical composition heard on almost any classic Michael Jackson track. TRENDING NOW Gino October destroys this freestyle at Mai FMĪ post shared by Gino October XO persona didn’t come out of thin air though, Abel has openly admitted that on multiple occasions he drew inspiration from childhood idols. The more commonly known meaning is obviously “hugs and kisses”, though if you’ve listened to the albums mentioned above you’ll understand why it’s more likely to be closer to the alternative meaning, ecstasy and oxycodone. Over the years there has been some debate about what ‘XO’ actually means. Along with this arose a deep internal conflict between doing wrong and being wronged, as he explored his feelings of love and lust. In fact, XO (or XO Records) is the name given to Abel’s own record label, created to produce his first three mixtapes in 2011.Įach album the XO version of Abel produced resulted in music emulating his lifestyle of sex, drugs, and temptation on the road as an artist. This version of The Weeknd is probably his most well known persona and was one that spanned over four years and three studio albums Trilogy, Kissland, and Beauty Behind The Madness. A version of Abel born out of the new lifestyle of fame he was being invited into. He was almost anonymous, a clean slate, and the perfect person to build a completely new image. After leaving home at 17 to live on his own in Toronto, when Abel began making music there wasn’t a lot out there for people to dig up about him. It comes as little surprise considering Abel’s past that he was able to create a new version of himself. Getting a shout out from fellow Canadian and all round superstar Drake, the singles started getting noticed, along with Abel himself.īefore we dive into the latest venture from the Canadian born R&B sensation, a journey back through his musical timeline will help us understand the inspiration, aesthetic and sounds of After Hours.
THE WEEKND STARBOY ALBUM AUDIO FULL
After a 3 year hiatus since his last studio album Starboy, Abel’s blessed us with his new full length project After Hours.Īble has been in the music scene for almost 10 years now, making his debut in 2010 when he posted his first three tracks “What You Need”, “Loft Music” and “The Morning” on YouTube. Once again Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd, has graced us with his beautifully twisted and serenading music.