Starboy

Red Starboy, Blue Starboy

Starboy ft. Daft Punk by The Weeknd

"Dying for The Weeknd's album drop next month."

That intro is so dramatic. I thought I was about to start watching The Phantom of the Opera or something.

The music, I mean.

I'm not really sure what's going on lyrically in this song.

Luckily, the kids over at Vigilant Citizen are helping me out with "The Occult Meaning of The Weeknd's Starboy" (x). I can't tell whether any of the articles on that website are serious or if it's a parody thing like The Onion, but here are some actual quotes:

"While some might think that The Weeknd [is having] a Christian rebirth, where he leaves his material possessions to follow the path of Jesus, that is not what is happening."

"The Weeknd states that his P1 (a sports car) is cleaner than your church shoes (the rewards of the occult elite are greater than the life of a humble church going person)."

"So, The Weeknd is not exactly becoming Jesus."

...anyway. 

After the dramatic introduction and some bass-heavy chords that are a clear throwback to The Hills, the song begins in earnest at about 0:45. 

Starboy features a muted but active drum line, but otherwise a pretty scarce accompaniment behind The Weeknd's usual soft, falsetto voice. There are sections with very little going on other than the vocal line, a slight echo, and some sporadic keyboard notes.

The chorus, on the other hand, brings in several electronic elements. This, combined with the repetition of the memorable line I'm a motherf***in Starboy, makes it absolutely infectious.

So far, the track has peaked at #2 on the Hot 100 (x).

P.S. The second single from The Weeknd's upcoming album (also called "Starboy") was just officially released a few days ago. See the music video here: False Alarm

Overview:

Genre:
Alt R&B

Favorite Lyrics:
Switch up my style, 
I take any lane.

Verdict:
brighter than expected