9 Things We Learned from The Weeknd's 'Starboy'

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"I won an award on a kids show for a song about my face being numb from a bag of blow." That line, the defining moment off "Reminder," says it all. The Weeknd is one of the dirtiest, druggiest, most depraved lyricists in pop right now, but the mainstream doesn't seem to mind. Stints on SNL, Ellen, and the rest of the late-night circuit have positioned the dude who talks about letting go of the wheel during road head ("Ordinary Life") as one of music's most marketable faces.

For his part, The Weeknd seems to recognize the unlikeliness of his rise on Starboy. There's the aforementioned Teen Choice awards line, nods to the rough beginnings that made him who he is ("Sidewalks"), and an unwillingness to engage directly with the media that's only just now starting to soften—his interview last week with Zane Lowe was Abel's first time being questioned on camera. 

Nobody knew what to expect when rumors started spreading that The Weeknd and Daft Punk were working on music together. When "Starboy" dropped, it all made sense. Daft Punk's masterful production and signature robotic qualities fit perfectly with The Weeknd's vintage-flavored, pop-leaning sound, and their contributions to Starboy are highlights from the album. "Starboy" and "I Feel It Coming" act as anchors to the album, and while some of the other songs stray more into R&B territory and trapped out sonic soundscapes, it's the Daft Punk touch that bridges the gap and carves out space for songs like "A Lonely Night," "Love To Lay," and "Secrets."

Starboy isn't a giant leap for The Weeknd, but it does feel like the beginning of a new chapter, and hopefully it's also the beginning of a long partnership between Daft Punk and The Weeknd.

The Weeknd seemed to appear as a fully formed artist with a clear aesthetic and sound when he dropped his debut mixtape House of Balloons. Much of the credit must go to producers Doc McKinney and Illangelo who were behind the boards and created the woozy, hazy world that The Weeknd inhabited with such ease.

McKinney worked on second mixtape Thursday but then didn't work with The Weeknd again. Until Starboy. Maybe it's his influence that helps keep The Weeknd's new album cohesive even as he includes both contemporary R&B and more throwback, funk and disco styles. As he's evolved throughout his career so far, The Weeknd has taken chances and experimented by working with new producers—we applaud him for that—but returning to a formula that has worked before isn't a bad move either.

It will be interesting to see how longtime fans of The Weeknd react to Starboy. Lead singles "Starboy" and "False Alarm" suggested a bigger, bolder, and more in-your-face style than anything from the once reclusive singer's early work, but even though he's a public figure now, he's holding on to the darkness that has always been present in his music.

At times, Starboy abandons the heavy, drugged out vibe from the Trilogy series, but the themes of self-destruction and emotional detachment are still there, even though the context has changed. In his interview with Zane Lowe, The Weeknd explained, "Trilogy was more like, the wealth was the motive. Then after Kiss Land, you finally have the wealth and we're enjoying it. And then, of course everybody wants to be rich but it comes with its negatives as well."

On "Ordinary Life," he sings about dying young. On "Sidewalks," he opens up about growing up fatherless and running out of tears when he was 18. On "All I Know," he reveals some of the struggles that come with being famous and having a reputation.

The Weeknd is still transitioning into the role of a pop star, but for those of us who always appreciated his gloomy perspective, it's reassuring to hear that he isn't just singing about being rich, famous, and problem-free. There's a darkness in everything, and it's still very much present in Starboy.

Whether or not it's the best song on Starboy is up for debate, but "Sidewalks" is a big moment on an album full of them. This has been a year full of Kendrick Lamar guest verses, but we have yet to see him mail any in (not even this one).

He covers a lot of ground on "Sidewalks"—drug dealing, religion, reparations, and Starboy itself make it into Kendrick's verse, which was recorded in person. The Weeknd made that much clear to Zane Lowe. "[Kendrick] came in the in the afternoon and left late at night," he told Lowe. "He did it there on the spot. He walked around and played it over and over again.

"I played him songs, the Starboy theme of course which he incorporated in his verse. He would just walk around, you know we would have food, he’s writing his verse in his head, he’d go into his phone, look at it for a few and put it back in, start walking around. At one point he went into the studio booth and closed the booth and I can hear him yelling his verse into his head. He was just really committing it. You could tell he was putting his all into it."

When The Weeknd first emerged, he was a mysterious Toronto enigma closely tied to Drake. Over the next years, he established himself as a solo artist who didn't need a co-sign or big-name features, but on Starboy it's more clear than ever that The Weeknd is an international superstar.

This album highlights the striking differences in career paths between Drake and The Weeknd. As Drake favors the ultra modern, gravitating to of-the-moment trends and achieving pop success with heavy-handed hints of dancehall influence and sounds from the UK, The Weeknd goes retro, combining his own dark brand of R&B with pop hits recalling global icons of the '70s, '80s, and '90s.

As Drake drifts away from the highly personal vulnerability that he was once known for, The Weeknd seems to finally be opening up. On "Sidewalks" he starts off with the line, "I ran out of tears when I was 18," adding soon after, "Grew up with no father so nobody ever son me." He still maintains his distance, but his life story is coming into focus in new ways, a sign that he's more comfortable with himself and his place in the spotlight.

With features from Kendrick Lamar, Future, Daft Punk, and Lana Del Rey, Starboy certainly has its star-powered moments, but The Weeknd isn't relying on anyone to boost his profile, and he's not following the footsteps of his contemporaries. He's a star in his own right.