The first interview of trendzoftheville has landed, and it’s about none other than The Weeknd. I tracked down one of his biggest fans, Mahad Syed. He has been following him closely since his rise to fame and has a wealth of knowledge to share with the trendzoftheville community. In this interview, we dive into many topics such as The Weeknd’s top albums, his evolution, and his most underrated projects. Let’s delve into the world of The Weeknd through the lens of one of his most loyal fans!
1. Best Weeknd album?
-House of Balloons is his best album because of the influence it had on R&B, and we see the influence even today. Artists like Partynextdoor, Brent Faiyaz, Giveon, and Daniel Caesar all have that “House of Balloons” sound to them that The Weeknd created and many other artists try and replicate. If you go from track 1 to track 9, as well as the bonus track he added when he released trilogy, it’s 10 straight 10/10 songs and some of The Weeknd’s best songs. House of balloons completely changed R&B forever and the crazy part is, this isn’t his only album to have that type of influence.
2. Best artist that complement’s the Weeknd’s style
It’s hard for me to choose just one artist that complements The Weeknd’s style. If I had to, I’d have to say Ariana Grande, with Bruno Mars as a close second. With Ariana Grande, you have the reincarnated version of Mariah Carey mixed with the reincarnated version of Michael Jackson (Bruno Mars). Their ability to hit such high notes creates a perfect contrast.
3. How do you see the Weeknd music evolving and what do you hope to see from him in the future?
I always think “there’s no way The Weeknd can evolve anymore” and then he does. It truly amazes me. He’s never afraid to try new things, so I think with his next project, it’s gonna be taking a step back and moving to a more traditional R&B project. We’ve seen The Weeknd make traditional R&B tracks, but we’ve never seen him make a full album of it. I think we will see that next. I also see him eventually killing the name “The Weeknd” and moving to his real name of “Abel Tesfaye.” Down the road, I hope to see him still making music, but he did say “we are in a new trilogy” when he released Dawn FM-almost 2 years after After Hours- so I’m really excited to see how he ends this new trilogy.
4. What sets The Weeknd Apart from other artists in the R&B and Pop genre?
I believe the main thing that separates him outside of the numbers and records he’s breaking is the fact that he’s not afraid to try new things. His first studio album was so different and he referred to it as “a curve ball.” When Dawn FM was released, many hated on it and then, over time, became loved. He’s always making timeless music that gets better with each listen.
5. Assign a song to each of these emotions: Anger, Excitement, Heartbreak, and Redemption
Anger: Initiation – The Weeknd distorts his voice to give off the vibe that he is wasted and the entire time he is basically commanding this girl at a party what to do and you get this sense of anger in his voice because of the commanding presence in his voice.
Excitement: Party monster – This song just gets me hyped and makes me feel like I can conquer anything. It has one of the craziest beat drops.
Heartbreak: Tears in the rain- 7 minutes of The Weeknd pouring his heart and soul because the girl he loved ended her life bc of him.
Redemption: Sidewalks (ft.Kendrick Lamar) – The reason this song is called sidewalks is bc he is talking about how he grew up homeless living on the sidewalks. He talks about redeeming himself from being at the absolute lowest point to where he is now saying “homeless to Forbes list.”
6. If the Weeknd asked you what his most underrated song is, which song would you pick?
Kiss Land is 3 songs in one and encapsulates his entire process in making the album starting off by talking about the tour life and how he has girls backstage every night feigning for him. In the second part, the beat changes upping the tempo and making it more hype, and he basically starts rapping talking about how he’s never seen the world before this tour saying “I went from staring at the same four walls for 21 years… to seeing the whole world in just 12 months.” He talks about a plethora of things flexing his money, getting absolutely plastered, having girls all around him, and partying for as long as he wants. In the final part, he repeats the same 2 lines over and over again, which are “this ain’t nothing to relate to… even if you tried” what he’s basically saying is I have all this and do all this and none of you can relate to me.
7. Which era of the Weeknd is the best?
After Hours. The buildup this album had along with the dedication from him to wear the red suit and makeup for that long makes this his best era. He portrayed this character wherever he was for almost 2 years and admitted he hated that red jacket because of how heavy it was. Despite all that, he created another theatrical experience along with great music.
At the conclusion of this interview, it is evident that The Weeknd has had a drastic effect on the lives of his fans, and Syed is just the proof. I always find it fascinating to see how different artists can manifest such passion. Syed’s interview exemplified how subjective music taste can be. Everyone has a different memory and different emotions that are connected to the songs they listen to. Music is essentially a different experience for every person, and this idea was embodied in the activity that Syed did. I hope this interview offered some valuable insight and new found appreciation for The Weeknd’s music. As always, make sure to subscribe; I look forward to bringing you more stories soon!
stay wavy,
alesa
1 Comment
Pishoy · March 22, 2023 at 11:50 pm
I loved reading this! Actually interesting
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