The Weeknd redefines R&B genre with Starboy

With a new hairdo and without ex-girlfriend Bella Hadid at his side, The Weeknd released Starboy, an album that surpassed all expectations and revamped the genre of R&B after Beauty Behind the Madness.

With Starboy, The Weeknd completely entered the mainstream, taking his fans by surprise with an upbeat album unlike ever before. With the drop of the lead single “Starboy,” listeners became weary as the song featured beats and melodies mostly associated with pop music. Despite this, The Weeknd created an album different from his first few records: Trilogy and Kiss Land. Those featured a sexy, alternative R&B vibe that remains in but with higher beats. He was still able to maintain his general style and tone.

As a whole, the album shows similarities with The Weeknd’s hit single from his previous album, “Can’t Feel My Face” in that although it continues to be R&B, it has pop features that make the music easier to listen to.

The album’s lyrics continue to highlight The Weeknd’s life filled with lust, sex and money. The sexually explicit lyrics featured on the album continue to be a symbol for The Weeknd. An example of this would be “Ordinary Life,” which epitomizes the sensual tone in Tesfaye’s music.

Aside from the recurring erotic lyrics, Starboy features music that is radio and dance ready like ‘Rockin’” and “Secrets” which almost sound like a mixture of retro ’80s beats and modern EDM, ready to be remixed. Singles “Starboy” and “I Feel it Coming” feature electronic music duo Daft Punk that provide an easy listen to The Weeknd’s commonly mysterious melodies and lyrics.

Though The Weeknd does attempt to make his music more upbeat in Starboy, he still includes a few tunes with that aforementioned mystery and gloom, especially with the two tracks on the album that feature Lana Del Rey — the queen of mystery and gloom. The song “Party Monster” was co-written by Del Rey and features her vocals toward the end of the track, repeating the word “paranoid” and ending the song with a soft “you’re paranoid.” The two-minute interlude called “Stargirl Interlude” breaks the album up, setting the second half for a more indie-infused R&B, not seen as much in the first half of the album. Undoubtedly, featuring Lana Del Rey reminds the listener that yes, this is still The Weeknd.

Starboy also features rapper Future in both “Six Feet Under” and “All I Know” and rap icon Kendrick Lamar in “Sidewalks.” “Sidewalks” references The Weeknd’s humble beginnings in Toronto after dropping out of high school and building his way to being one of the most sought after singers currently in music. He also calls out one of his own first producers with the lyrics, “‘Cause too many people think they made me / Well, if they really made me then replace me.” Featuring Kendrick Lamar on “Sidewalks” diversified the record vocally, as Lamar’s commanding tone completely contrasted with The Weeknd’s smooth, seductive voice. “Sidewalks” is one of the best tracks on the album.

Overall, Starboy proved The Weeknd’s versatility and willingness to expand his audiences to more than alternative R&B listeners. In this effort, he created a record that stayed true to his style, while still opening the door to the mainstream. Starboy is not as strong as his last album, Beauty Behind The Madness, which directly reflected The Weeknd’s style while still having some of the greatest radio hits like “The Hills” and “In The Night.”