Mixing a unique cocktail of chemically sexual excess with self-loathing, the Weeknd’s contradictory impulses somehow garner mass popularity. Canadian Abel Tesfaye spins hit singles out of his brooding decadence.
He’s got it, no doubt. Sunday’s co-headlining set opposite the Strokes proved that. Not only is he a great singer, Tesfaye oozes charisma, so the audience of teens and young twentysomethings was his from the first beat.
“High for This,” from his critically acclaimed mixtape, House of Balloons, opened on slow jam rhythm before pushing into club-friendly territory. Tesfaye sampled bestseller Beauty Behind the Madness with the languid groove of “Acquainted,” urging the willing crowd to jump. That response was paltry compared to the cheer greeting the first note of “Losers,” and once he hit the overtly erotic “Often,” the crowd was singing louder than he was.
His official debut Kiss Land was ignored in favor of work with mentor Drake (“Crew Love”), Ty Dolla $ign (“Or Nah”), and covers of Beyoncé and Ariana Grande, but it was Sunday’s crescendoing run of hits that crystallized his stardom. “Earned It,” “Tell Your Friends,” “Can’t Feel My Face” (the catchiest song about addiction in a lion’s age), “The Hills,” and “Prisoner” simply slayed.
“I got my scars right here,” Tesfaye crooned in “Wicked Games,” but that broodiest of broods unexpectedly ended up being the perfect closer. Standing alone in front of giant LED screens, the Weeknd didn’t just command attention. He earned it.
This article appears in October 2 • 2015.
