walking upstream…
The Weeknd
photo: brian ziff · cc by-sa 4.0 ↗The Weeknd
sourcesWikipedia · PopMatters — The Weeknd
Abel Tesfaye emerged from Toronto's mixtape underground in 2010 as The Weeknd, pairing a gauzy, falsetto-heavy voice with druggy, nocturnal R&B production on the House of Balloons trilogy before crossing into full pop stardom with Beauty Behind the Madness and After Hours. His music fuses classic soul vocalizing with synth-pop atmosphere and hip-hop's sense of menace, a hybrid that turned 'Blinding Lights' into one of the best-performing singles in Billboard chart history. He remains one of the defining voices of 2010s–2020s alternative R&B.
the sound in question
2019
Blinding LightsThe Weeknd
walk the tributaries ↓
Michael Jackson1980s · Pop / R&B / Dance
Tesfaye has named Michael Jackson as one of his three 'main musical inspirations,' and Jackson's percussive falsetto phrasing and knack for turning dread into a dance groove runs through The Weeknd's own dark-pop instincts.
listen: upstream & here
1982
Billie JeanMichael Jackson
2015
Can't Feel My FaceThe Weeknd
listen forPlay Jackson's 'Billie Jean' next to The Weeknd's 'Can't Feel My Face' — both ride a taut, minimal groove with a high, breathy vocal that stays melodic even as the lyric turns unsettling.
Prince1980s · Funk / Pop / R&B / Rock
Tesfaye lists Prince among his three defining inspirations and told journalists his Starboy album was 'a thousand percent' inspired by him; the two were reportedly set to work together at Paisley Park before Prince's death in 2016.
listen: upstream & heresource: Billboard — The Weeknd's New Album Inspired by Prince, The Smiths and Talking Heads ↗
1986
KissPrince
2016
StarboyThe Weeknd
listen forPlay Prince's synth-funk 'Kiss' next to The Weeknd's Prince-referencing 'Starboy' — both strip a groove down to a springy bassline, handclaps, and a falsetto vocal doing most of the melodic work.
R. Kelly1990s–2000s · R&B / Contemporary R&B / Pop
Tesfaye has named R. Kelly among his three main musical inspirations, and critics writing about House of Balloons repeatedly heard R. Kelly's melodic bedroom-R&B grammar underneath the mixtape's darker, Burial-indebted production.
listen: upstream & here
1993
Bump N' GrindR. Kelly
2011
Wicked GamesThe Weeknd
listen forPlay Kelly's breakout 'Bump N' Grind' next to The Weeknd's 'Wicked Games' — both build a slow-motion come-on around a simple, aching vocal hook laid over a spare, bass-heavy groove.