I’ve been a fan of Abel Tesfaye, the Toronto-based artist known as The Weeknd, for the past 4 years or so. With the release of his new album Starboy, I thought I’d take the time to write an article about him, and make a counter point to what I’ve been hearing around me.
Mixtape x “Trilogy”
But first, let’s go back and introduce The Weeknd briefly. Abel comes from Toronto, and started making noise at the same time as Drake, another Toronto native. Very quickly, the two of them started collaborating, appearing on one another’s record.
They are completely different, however, and where Drake used to mix sad emotions and hyperaware lyrics, The Weeknd’s music has always been about darkness, cloudiness, depravity and haziness. Unlike rappers, his is not necessarily a dangerous threatening tone, but more of a mysterious dark aura that, coupled with relative anonymity, made for an intriguing and charismatic persona that contributed to his early underground success.
Between 2010 & 2011, he released a series of 3 mixtapes, available online for free. Later, in 2012, The Weeknd signed on to a label and these three mixtapes were edited together as an album called “Trilogy”. With a local buzz around Toronto, and a collaboration on Drake’s sophomore album Take Care, all was set to take off.
“Kiss Land”
In 2013, his ‘second’ album Kissland was relased. In my eyes, it remains quite an underrated record. And it sold considerably less than even the debut album “Trilogy”.
However, what was interesting was that where most people expected that he would play with a different, bigger, more ambitious sound, Abel released what many people feel is an extension of the Trilogy. The sounds, beats, vibes, and even lyrics are in the same vein. In a sense, it was an interesting transition album that didn’t alienate the existing fanbase that supported him during his underground days.
However, even with similar sounds, you could tell that, sonically and aesthetically, Abel finally had a bigger marketing budget. The artwork, marketing push, and the music videos that were released at the time were of much higher quality, while retaining
To sum it up, where most people were expecting a surprising “WOW!” moment, Abel took a different path and delivered an album that sounded like an “I got something more to say” statement.
“Beauty behind the Madness”
Fast forward a couple of years, and a new Weeknd was released: the now-iconic “I can’t feel my face”. The cocaine-analogy has been without a doubt the biggest hit thus far, and brought Abel to mainstream success.
As he collaborated with the iconic Swedish producer Max Martin, The Weeknd was ready to hit the big stage. His singles and features he collaborated on started being every mainstream radio station, and despite staying true to his themes of chaos, heavy drug use and sexuality, the musical production values reached a different level that made it easier to please a bigger crowd.
It was finally the breakout moment that most people expected Kissland to be.
“Starboy”
Fast-forward fifteen months, and The Weeknd has just released a new album, which, at a distance, can be seen as a quick follow-up to Beauty’s mainstream appeal.
In reality, where Beauty brought darkness in a sensual world, feeling like a Michael Jackson record, Starboy mixes influences up from the 80’s, with Prince, David Bowie and other artists from this era coming to mind. However, these sounds all serve the purpose of being used with Abel’s dark and profane themes & lyrics. One could even argue that Starboy is a
As noted by Jon Caramanica of the New York Times, only the final song of this record (“I see it coming”, featuring the legendary Daft Punk) feels like a breath of positive fresh air, in a long double-album.
I haven’t had enough time to digest this album just yet, but I’m really liking the paradoxal vibe that comes from giving a throwback to the 80’s while making this record his own.
Adressing the MJ ripoff controversy.
Over the past few months, and really, since “I can’t feel my face” was released, I’ve been hearing comparison with Michael Jackson. Something I can understand, especially for non-fans who have only discovered The Weeknd recently.
So I thought I’d mention a couple of things: first of all, Abel has always expressed his influence from MJ.
But perhaps more importantly, he’s made a statement with which I can empathise: the idea that kids today may not have grown up with Michael Jackson, only his influence. And that they don’t have an iconic artist that can serve as a cultural influence and voice. The Weeknd sees himself as a newer and more modern/up-to-the-current-times version of MJ.
I can agree somewhat with the first part of this statement. I don’t think teenagers today see Justin Bieber or the recently-split One Direction in the same way that 70’s-80’s teenagers saw Michael Jackson. But I’m not sure whether Abel really is this reincarnation. I guess time will tell.
A final recommendation:
In the past two years, the New York Times’ Pop Culture podcast “Podcast” has released two episodes centered around The Weeknd’s latest two albums that came out: “Beauty behind the Madness” and “Starboy”.
Both, to me, are absolutely essential in trying to understand where Abel comes from and what he’s trying to achieve. And as a final word, I can only recommend that you check it out.
Back in 2015, I wrote (in French) about how excited I was about Trevor Noah's Daily Show. I had seen enough episodes of the iconic Jon Steward show to know that it was something I liked, but not enough to be an unconditional fan angered at the new host. And I noticed that some of the people I followed were getting involved.
Fast-forward to 2016, where after a couple of months after the hype, critics have gone against Noah for being too soft, too different, too stale, compared to the previous version of the show. Keeping in mind that it took Jon Steward 18 years to improve his formula, I found the criticism of Noah to be a bit harsh.
The Daily Show host was measured, respectful, and challenging in his 26-minute conversation with TheBlaze pundit Tomi Lahren.
I personally had no idea of knowing who she was.
Tomi Lahren, the 24-year-old host of Tomi on the conservative cable network TheBlaze, feels like a pundit created by a computer algorithm, someone who primarily exists to say something provocative enough to jump to the top of a Facebook feed.
She’s called the Black Lives Matter movement “the new KKK,” partly blamed the 2015 Chattanooga shootings on President Obama’s “Muslim sensitivity,” and declared Colin Kaepernick a “whiny, indulgent, attention-seeking cry-baby.”
At a time when such charged political rhetoric feels increasingly like the norm, Lahren stands at one end of a widening gulf—which made her appearance on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah Wednesday night all the more fascinating.
Sounds delightful doesn't she?
I personally thought Noah did a great job at interviewing Tomi Lahren, as he took it with a calm and opened mind, trying to understand his interviewee’s perspective and calmly calling hypocrisy and bullshit without going into caricature.
I think this is important: he's trying to rebute the fake news and false facts one by one.
You can see the look on his face when he really wants to interrupt Lahren, but stops himself out of respect for his job and his guest. You gotta respect that!
Diplomatic, but challenging, this is what I'll be looking forward to watching from Noah!
I'll leave the final thoughts from the piece over on The Atlantic:
If Noah was looking for a specific episode that would help him break out in his crowded field, he may have finally found it.
Today, the entire editorial board at the NYTimes got together to discuss the global issues affected by a Trump presidency, in a very comprehensive manner.
There is still little sign that Mr. Trump, who has declined daily briefings by the intelligence agencies, understands these threats and how to deal with them.
On Nuclear Weapons:
Since World War II, the United States has sought to prevent nuclear war and the expansion of nuclear arsenals. It would be catastrophic if a nuclear weapon is used during Mr. Trump’s presidency or if his stance encouraged more countries to acquire such arms.
Regarding NATO and global world alliances meant to keep peace throughout the world:
His fondness for strongmen like Mr. Putin and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, whom he called “a fantastic guy,” suggests indifference if not disdain for efforts to promote human rights and democracy. He has displayed no concern for Russian expansionism in Ukraine.
The entire article is summed up nicely:
The world has long relied on the United States to be the steady hand. The challenges will be more complex than Mr. Trump ever imagined. There is little reason to believe that he will provide strong leadership on these fronts, but every reason to hope that he does.
Yes, you read it right. In case you didn’t know, after a disastrous election results over Brexit in the U.K. and Trump in the US, France is up next.
Luckily my friend Liam just published this great piece. In just a few words, he sums up:
Why France and the election matter at a global level.
What the political system and landscape look like at the moment.
What can be done by our community of business/tech/startup people, to ensure a better election.
As for me, I’m planning to join a political movement, as hinted at previously and am considering making a donation have decided to make a donation to a political party for the first time in my lifetime. It’s important, and similarly to ditching New Balance, one should always put his money where his/her mouth is: VOTE WITH YOUR WALLET Y’ALL!
[caption id=“attachment_909” align=“alignnone” width=“2576”] A blurry picture from a great night out with Elodie, one of my best friends since I was 15! We went out for dinner and then wine: Beaujolais Nouveau![/caption]
I did promise more updates:
First of all, I've moved the blog over to Wordpress, and it's now available via the usual URL: TIBZ.co although technically, this redirects to the new and funkier tibz.blog. I'm slowly getting more active there, so be sure to follow (using the buttons on the right handside...)
After the stress and emotions of the past weeks, I've published a brand new music mix to dance to, cook to, vibe to, and turn up to. It's available here!
And finally, I've made some progress on the next few Vlogs from the Parisian trip! More over there!
…and that’s it for today folks!
As always, thanks for reading and sharing your feedback!
From my friend Lindsey, an American friend who’s my go-to for new food/coffee/drinks places to go to in Paris. She’s a regular NYTimes contributor, and has written this piece for Refinery29. In it, she discusses why now more than ever is the best time to visit Paris, with a nod to last year’s devastating attacks.
Ultimately, the best way for any of us to move on and honor the victims was to keep living out our lives in concert halls, restaurants, bars, and public spaces, and not immure ourselves in our homes in grief.
This brings to mind a piece from The Times about the infamous Parisian Resilience. I’ll leave you with a second quote.
We’ve all seen the articles exhorting us to travel abroad now, more than ever. They remind us that the probability of being harmed in a terrorist attack pales in comparison to the general risks in everyday life.
By the way, Lindsey is also working on a book about Paris, in English, which I can only recommend. To learn more about her, please pay her a visit over on her blog.
Ignore the health warnings, the sage advice, the calorie counters, the sleep addicts: Every great bar is a breath of paradise, and the best ones know, in their gleaming surfaces, what Proust meant when he said that the true paradises are the paradises we have lost.
Really grateful that I got to collaborate on this article with Remotive, the community of remote workers that I’ve been a part of for many months, now!
This article is all about how remote workers disconnect or recharge their batteries when working remotely. Some great insights from 9 different people, myself included.
My answer:
I’m lucky enough to be a remote freelancer living in the South of France (insert cliche of the sun, the beach, and a colourful cocktail!) So there are a lot of perks that come with that. In addition, I’m living in the center of a medium-sized city: another perk that directly leads to my happy lifestyle of being able to walk around the city with my computer in my bag and working from a cafe a few times a week.
How to Disconnect:
My way of disconnecting is simple: whenever I feel like I need to take a break from work, I make a note of the advancement of the project I’m on, and leave with my keys, wallet and phone. Sometimes, it’s a short break to grab a coffee and come back, sometimes it’ll be meeting with a friend or running a couple of errands.
Even a small break helps me reorganise my thoughts, plan ahead on the next client work to be done, or simply helps me to take a breather from a busy day.
These days, despite the heavy load of work to wrap up before the end of the year, it’s rare that I spend my entire day indoor. And if and when I do, my Fitbit is always there to shame me into talking a walk during the day or after my work is done.
Recharge:
When it comes to recharging, nothing is obviously as efficient as taking a proper vacation. To each his own: some of us want to spend time with friends, or discover a new city and culture. And some of us prefer to be outdoors, or in remote places where they can completely disconnect from their day-to-day lives.
But even if a vacation is not available for a few more weeks or months, I find working in a different environnement (or even better, a different city to be very beneficial.)
For me, it’s usually a week-long break in Paris where I’m going to catch up with friends during my off-time, but also work in cafes and coworking spaces during the week. I’ve actually met some members of the Remotive community like this, IRL / AFK after months of chatting online.
I guess in conclusion, I’d add that we are an incredibly fortunate bunch, at the forefront of “the future of work”: we’re location independent, employees and freelancers and can work at any hour of the day and from anywhere. It doesn’t get any better than that.
And while it’s great to set some sort of routine, it’s also worth trying something new with the free schedule that you now possess.
This one is much longer, clocking in at 1:56:03, and filled with music that inspires me, ranging from chill downtempo, all the way to loud bass-heavy trap and future beats.
Along with a few (predominantly) American friends ranging from minorities to women, the first few days post-US election have been terrifying. From early reports of hate-crimes rising in the US to personal friends being insulted, there’s a lot of sad news coming from across the Atlantic.
In the days after the American election, I was threatened online again, a very chipper man on the internet threatening to rape me while telling someone else to grab my pussy. I didn't cry then. I shook with impotent rage, but tears never came. Not for that incident, anyway.
I don’t tell these stories for pity. When I told them before, shared them after they happened, it wasn’t for pity. It was to let all the white people I know, the large, mostly conservative family that I have that see me only on Facebook, and the many conservative people in my rural Ohio hometown, it was for them to see. I told those stories so they would KNOW that something was happening to me too- a boring ass white girl that they supposedly care about. Someone relatively high on the totem pole.
Another incident you might have heard, this time from Manik (remember Manik, from my podcast?)
Two weeks, I hosted my good friend Marisa, from California!
Brace yourselves for Adventures across the French Riviera!
youtube.com/watch
From my good friend Andrew, who also happens to be amongst the smartest men in the room, on a regular basis:
Make no mistake, this will have a profound impact on our future and our history. The deep, sinking anxiety that I've felt over the last 24 hours is something I never want to feel again, but it's merited. This is a key moment.
The feeling has nothing to do with liberal vs conservative. It has everything to do with right vs wrong. I can’t support what he stands for - racism, sexism, division - and I won’t. That’s a binary thing. This is not policy, it never has been. It’s person.
I’m sad that we’re so divided. There’s a real issue deep within the country that allowed him to rise, not unlike what we’ve seen in the history books. It’s on all of us to fix this, in whatever way we can. And that needs to start now. We can’t let the progress that generations before us worked so hard for, fought for, died for - vanish.
This morning I woke up compelled to public service and politics, and I hope you did too.
If you need motivation, look at the photo below. Look at the race of the crowd. I’m fortunate, I’m a straight white male. Imagine how it feels to wake up this morning as a minority, a woman, a homosexual. The battle against hate starts now, again. I’m not a democrat and I’m not a republican. This is not party lines.
Only a new commitment to the universality of human rights and human dignity can lift us out of this current quagmire. But that will require foot soldiers of peace who preach what we have in common rather than how we are different; what we have gained, rather than what we have lost; and what we seek to achieve rather than what we have failed to accomplish.
Let that sink in: this post was written by a Muslim on an Israeli site – gives you an idea of the gravity of the situation!
The election of Donald Trump to the Presidency is nothing less than a tragedy for the American republic, a tragedy for the Constitution, and a triumph for the forces, at home and abroad, of nativism, authoritarianism, misogyny, and racism.
Trump is vulgarity unbounded, a knowledge-free national leader who will not only set markets tumbling but will strike fear into the hearts of the vulnerable, the weak, and, above all, the many varieties of Other whom he has so deeply insulted.
Fascism is not our future—it cannot be; we cannot allow it to be so—but this is surely the way fascism can begin.
The fact that the linked post’s title is about both Elon Musk and Basic Income is likely a big clickbait.
In an interview with CNBC on Friday, Musk said that he believes the solution to taking care of human workers who are displaced by robots and software is creating a (presumably government-backed) universal basic income for all.
“If all you can do is shout "they took our jobs!" then you probably think universal basic income is a communist plot to take over the country by paying migrants to move here.”
That’s not what this is about. It’s about resource redistribution in a not-so-distant world where the majority of labour (whether physical, digital, and just about anything in between)is accomplished by automated machines.
But first, let’s go back and introduce The Weeknd briefly. Abel comes from Toronto, and started making noise at the same time as Drake, another Toronto native. Very quickly, the two of them started collaborating, appearing on one another’s record.
In 2013, his ‘second’ album Kissland was relased. In my eyes, it remains quite an underrated record. And it sold considerably less than even the debut album “Trilogy”.
Fast forward a couple of years, and a new Weeknd was released: the now-iconic “I can’t feel my face”. The cocaine-analogy has been without a doubt the biggest hit thus far, and brought Abel to mainstream success.
Fast-forward fifteen months, and The Weeknd has just released a new album, which, at a distance, can be seen as a quick follow-up to Beauty’s mainstream appeal.
A blurry picture from a great night out with Elodie, one of my best friends since I was 15! We went out for dinner and then wine: Beaujolais Nouveau![/caption]
