If You Like The Weeknd's Early Work, Check Out 19-Year-Old Dre Kiken

Image via Dre Kiken

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Image via Dre Kiken

Image via Dre Kiken

The Weeknd has successfully transitioned into a global superstar, but if you’re looking for the raw charm of his early songs like “The Morning” and “Loft Music,” you won’t find it on his new, chart-topping album Beauty Behind the Madness. If you’re craving that intimate, unpolished vibe, check out Dre Kiken.

Dre is 19 years old, born in Louisiana and now living in Central Texas. About his latest song, he explains: “‘Always’ is about me stressing about life and my relationship. The first verse is mainly focused towards my girl, who always holds me down and supports but sometimes we argue over petty stuff. The hook came about because I was just recently homeless for a while. I felt like creating the song was a good way to relieve stress and share how I felt. The second verse was focused towards old friends and ex-girls I used to be close to.”

After he submitted the song, I told him it reminded me of The Weeknd’s early work and asked if that was an influence. “Well I do listen to Trilogy very often,” he said. “It’s one of the projects that made me want to sing. Some big inspiration for me is ’90s R&B like 112 and Dru Hill. Current artists like PartyNextDoor and Corbin make amazing music too. More than anything, I would say I’m inspired by my day to day life and what me and the people around me go through.”

“Always” will be included in Dre’s upcoming project called Clout.

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