After a much anticipated wait by fans, The Weeknd has release a song and accompanying music video. Starboy came out to much approval by The Weeknd’s fans and to the approval of anyone that loves R&B or pop music. I have now listened to the song about 5 times today and watched the video 3 times, twice in a row to fully take it in. I think I understand it pretty well. The song is mostly describing his life as a pop icon and how he is a Starboy, a slang word meaning he is on top, famous, and that he’s made it. For example, his line “you talkin’ ‘bout me, I don’t see the shade” is his way of saying that haters comments won’t even touch him.
Over the last couple years, The Weeknd has done nothing but gone up. His last album, Beauty Behind the Madness, went triple platinum in the USA, so he has every right to call himself a Starboy. His first verse is perhaps the pinnacle of bragging. The Weeknd discusses his cars and lavish lifestyle and the second verse as well. The song is fuelled with braggy lyrics, however he has worked hard for his success and is very deserving of it. The choruses are very similar to the theme but are more of a call out to haters, and the fact that he’s become almost untouchable from his career. The best was provided by the techno duo of Daft Punk and match his showy vocals very well. It almost remind me of Michael Jackson’s You Rock My World in that it had a lot of power in the beat and vocals.
The video, in turn, does not follow the same concept as the lyrics. It’s not as showy as it is more of a self criticism. In the opening scene he gets rid of his old self, and become the new person he is now. His style is different and his signature hairstyle is now gone. He walks down a hall to a red glowing cross and takes it. This becomes the object of his destruction as he destroys all his awards and platinum records. Everything that was him before has been destroyed. Perhaps this symbolizes that he’s reached an almost godlike status in music that he no longer needs all his past accolades to back up that he is good. He knows he’s good at what he does, and so does everyone else.
The second half of the video features The Weekend in his McLaren P1, mentioned at the beginning of the song. He’s driving through the hills and the car next to him turns into a panther, or puma. Either way, this most likely is a way of him saying that he’s matured. His music is now art and he’s making it for him not for anyone else. While he most likely loves and appreciates his fans, the music is no longer for them but for himself instead. It’s self reflection. The destruction of his accolades is the same thing; everything he did was to please fans and the labels, but now he is doing this for himself. His music is his art and he’s proud of it. He is, after all, a Starboy.