Liceul Teoretic “Ovidius” Constanta

From Darkness to Dawn

1 Elev: Culea Elissa-Andreea, a XII-a D

Profesor coordinator: Vintila Mihaela
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................3
BACKSTORY..............................................................................................................................4
THE COME UP............................................................................................................................5
HOUSE OF BALLOONS............................................................................................................5
THE XO IMPACT.......................................................................................................................6
CHARACTER EVOLUTION......................................................................................................7
AFTER HOURS...........................................................................................................................8
CONCLUSION..........................................................................................................................10
BIBLIOGRAPHY......................................................................................................................11

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INTRODUCTION [Type a quote from the document or the
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many famous people fall victim to substance abuse and possibly worse. The reason so many
artists succumb to addiction is due to the ignorance and nonawareness that they are people too.
Celebrities are people dressed in persona, but despite intense mental pressures fame can
baggage, the colossal success of Abel Tesfaye's career has proven you can control a level of
fame seen by the world and maintain a part of yourself that remains modest and humble.
I have been a fan of his since 2018, admiring him not only for his vocal abilities and
music producing skills, but also his lyrical genius. Enjoying The Weeknd as an artist is not just
about embracing a musical genre; it is about immersing yourself in a sonic and emotional
journey curated by an unparalleled talent. His ability to navigate various musical realms with
innovation and authenticity ensures a dynamic listening experience that transcends traditional
genre boundaries.
Abel Makkonen Tesfaye is 33 this year. The Toronto native has been in the spotlight for
almost a decade with over a dozen hits on Billboard scoring 5 #1's, three Grammy's, countless
Platinums and a Certified Diamond Track. With the flashy, popstar persona he takes on today,
Abel's also known for his secret meanings behind his hit songs like Can't Feel My Face, The
Hills, and Blinding Lights.
The R&B genre has been heavily influenced by his early music but given his MJ-esque
sound, a first time listen to Abel is virtually incomparable…but how?

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BACKSTORY

Before we dive into the mind of Abel Tesfaye, we need to visit the important eras of his
past. But given Abel does not do many interviews, everything about his past I have had to dig up
through articles and indirect sources.
Abel Tesfaye was raised in the suburbs of Scarborough, Toronto, where he would learn
his native language, Amharic, and was taken to Ethiopian church service. When Abel was young
his father left him with his mother and grandmother to raise him.
At the age of 11 he started experimenting with illegal substances, building up his
tolerance at a young age. During the early days of his teenage years he retained most of his social
experiences through television that dove him into deep state of loneliness. He had little anger
towards his father since he was not remembered to be abusive, rather, not have feelings for him
whatsoever.
By 16 Abel vowed if he never made it big in the world he would commit suicide. At the
ripe age of 17, Abel and his best friend, La Mar Taylor, decided to drop out of high school
together, disappearing from his mother’s life in a flash.
In a 2016 article by Tom Lamont, Abel remembers his mother's reaction being “The
worst look anyone could ever have. She looked at me like she failed.”
With the two best friends now living in Parkdale, Toronto, they shared a one bedroom
apartment with little space for privacy, surviving by shoplifting and stealing others property. At
one point Abel left Parkdale bouncing from girlfriend’s house to girlfriend’s house, ending up
homeless for long periods of time.
Along the journey Abel met a producer who was trying to make a name for himself, the
one who will eventually kickstart Abel’s vocal ability into the underground world, producer
Jeremy Rose.
Despite the substance abuse Abel had an advantage given the pitch in his voice was
higher than usual. Abel was either continuing or had just started songwriting and by this point
needed a stage name that would suit him perfectly. With everything that had happened between
2007 to 2010, Abel still hated seeing his mother's reaction the fateful weekend he left her, but
with that weekend being the changing point and death of Abel Tesfaye, it was the beginning of
the womanizing, partying, and drug abusing lifestyle that led to the culmination he hailed...The
Weeknd.

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THE COME UP

In 2010 The Weeknd met and worked with producer, Jeremy Rose. They mix and
mastered his first tracts, ‘What You Need’, ‘Loft Music’, and ‘The Morning’ releasing it on
YouTube and, although The Weeknd was anxious about his voice, he carried out with his vision
for a new wave of Dark R&B. This consisted of many truths The Weeknd expressed through his
vocal ability.
The raw truth being the world he lived with the illegal substances he would take and the
women he would sleep with. This would not be the first time an artist made a take on their dark
fantasy through R&B, but for the project to be heavily focused on this kind of lifestyle it was a
game changer.
Despite the negativity he was singing about, he was far from promoting it, rather
criticizing himself for it while still giving into his own influence. The lifestyle he adapted after
leaving his mother's house was even worse, but he felt comfort in the things he was doing, the
freedom he controlled. Abel now by the stage name, The Weeknd, was living in a world he
created from the experiences he captured on television. A pocket world he manifested through
the harsh and grimy drug induced fantasy, a world he later titled, ‘House of Balloons.’
But before the creation of what will soon to have launched him in into superstratum, The
Weeknd parted ways with Jeremy Rose, and instead met producers Illangelo in December of
2010 and Doc McKinney in January of 2011. With the perfect producers suited to embody the
sound of his mind, it was time for The Weeknd to manifest all of his experiences into three
mixtapes titled: House Of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes Of Silence; eventually put together in
one project titled: Trilogy.

HOUSE OF BALLOONS

Now that we understand his backstory and come up we can get into what makes him
successful and why.
Throughout hours of effort and pure skill The Weeknd did not take any off, with creating
his own brand XO and dropping the three mixtapes that changed the game in 2011.
House Of Balloons was about a man losing himself to his addictions and unfavorable
relationships with women. In this track, The Weeknd’s hit a low point, one of many he boldly

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sings about, describing the shame he feels for cheating on his partner. Instead of caring about
how this girl would feel, he gives into his lustful emotions in attempt to find comfort and
satisfaction.
This right here is what separated how R&B artists approached songs about seduction.
Unlike many at the time, The Weeknd was the first to confront vulnerability without making
excuses or claiming how great of a person he is. He was admitting the exact opposite.
In the song ‘House Of Balloons / Glass Table Girls’, The Weeknd tries to convince
people that his party is fun while everyone is intoxicated. This song is one big metaphor for
depression and, instead of confronting it, everybody is drowning in it.
The whole purpose of this soundtrack is realizing we find sympathy for the bad guy
because a part of us understands them. Apart of us wants to see their redemption or maybe why
they have fallen into chaos to begin with. You cannot create a believable character in a film
without giving them an arc. Character development is important and key. That goes for music
and all of pop culture.
Throughout ‘House Of Balloons’ he does not sugar-coat his erratic decisions. He openly
embraces the chaos just because… but his actions do not come without consequence. By the end
of the mixtape, he finds out the girl he has been with cheated on him back, breaking his heart and
getting what he deserves, ending the crazy world of the House Of Balloons he created.

THE XO IMPACT

In 2013, The Weeknd’s Debut Album, Kiss Land, hit streaming services. Many fans to
this day still love this album due to the creative narrative of Japanese culture surrounding it. The
versatility of an R&B singer goes so far, but The Weeknd has pushed its boundaries with his
unique style of instrumentals, vocals, and lyrical choice so much so that he has played a big part
in most rappers careers to this day. The impact of XO has spread through the new generation,
influencing recent artists like XXXtentacion to Lil Uzi Vert.
Moving from radio R&B to pop hits to indie electronica, The Weeknd still holds core
values he has carried from the start with very dark and disturbing meanings behind songs that are
less abrasive but still honest. A very good example is Can't Feel My Face, which was released in

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2015. This song is about is about dependence, desperation, a lack of inhibition, isolation, and
relatedly, self-esteem, anxiety, misery, and ultimately, a pained and inauspicious death.
The Hills features similar messaging. This song is not only intense musically, mixing
heavy soul and rap, but its lyrics are also worth delving into for a better understanding of where
this now world-renowned artist comes from philosophically. Unfortunately, that place is not a
happy one and listeners may respond in shock, pity or empathy.
Another big hit of The Weeknd’s that is worth to talk about is Blinding Lights. This
flashy 80’s themed pop song has a hidden meaning as well. At its core, the song delves into the
intense longing for connection and the struggle to find love amidst the cold and empty nature of
Sin City.

CHARACTER EVOLUTION

With the impactful heartthrob The Weeknd has become, he eventually gives the persona a
break. In 2015 The Weeknd met super model Bella Hadid, soon to be his girlfriend. This is the
first time The Weeknd gets to be Abel Tesfaye, sticking to commitment, sidelining the persona
that sleeps around and has affairs. This is the first time in Able's career he has been publicly seen
dating another woman, making it a changing point in his character. Although the relationship
was a positive in Abel’s life, it was short lived when it came to a mutual end. Abel let her go,
growing past his pain and adapting the persona of The Weeknd that slowly drove him mad. But
with The Weeknd and Abel Tesfaye being one in the same only meant one thing: a growth in his
character.
As most artists evolve they do so through style and appearance, but what they can
customize and make their signature look is up to them. One of the most recognizable traits is
someone's hair. Spanning all throughout pop culture and human history in general, the growth of
hair signifies the growth of character. The Weeknd’s signature hair style throughout the early to
mid 2010’s, simply became iconic. But as all good things come to an end, his iconic nap got a
trim as The Weeknd transitioned from his 2015 Studio Album, Beauty Behind The Madness, to
his 2016 studio album, Starboy. Not only did he transition out a committed relationship and
iconic hairdo, but he also transitioned the genre of music he created. From the pop with dark

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tones of his music, now came the nuance of the urban, abstract, and electro pop sound The
Weeknd character adapted.
During 2017 Able took an interest in Selena Gomez, but after the 10 month relationship
ending as well. With the failed relationships of Able’s past, came the inspiration for 2018’s My
Dear Melancholy, his first EP. This was the breaking point for Abel Tesfaye when he drew
inspiration from his failed relationships. A huge change from the topics he sung about on House
Of Balloons.
In a way, every project until now slowly drifts from his old ways given he wants out of
the lifestyle he created, the broken hearts he has accumulated. But with Abel Tesfaye and The
Weeknd being stuck together for good, he has no choice but to live with his ways, building up to
one of, if not, the best project he has made to date.

AFTER HOURS

With everything that has happened to The Weeknd throughout his wild journey, it has all
come to After Hours. For the first time ever, The Weeknd struggles to escape the world hehas
submersed himself in, to defeat the persona he has become.
The whole albums sound is inspired by synth pop and other 80’s instruments. But the
way he uses the 80’s to visualize and represent this body of work can play as a metaphor for
being stuck in his same old ways, and in a way he hates this version of himself.
After Hours as an album was another one of The Weeknd’s double meanings. Before the
release however, The Weeknd dropped videos for ‘Heartless’ and ‘Blinding Lights’. This is the
first time Abel portrayed The Weeknd as a character.
His tragedy expanded throughout his music videos and lyrics for this project. There is
consistency in each video being a little darker than the last, revealing each meaning through the
layers. Inspired by the 1985 film, After Hours, and 2019's Joker, Abel amazingly brought "The
Weeknd" character to life.
In ‘Heartless’ he enters Vegas ready to spend it all just to have a good time so he can
escape his loneliness. He goes back to his old ways, and runs away only to come back again in
the ‘Blinding Lights’ video, this time speeding down a highway and getting beat up by club
security, running once more and still having the after effectsof his bad actions.

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 The bandages around his head during the American Music Awards lead up to the ‘Save
Your Tears’ video where The Weeknd embraces this life even more. Covered in plastic surgery,
the subliminal messaging with his former girlfriend, Selena Gomez, shows one of many reasons
why he is trapped. Her leaving was one of these reasons and by that point felt she should have
put him out his misery.
This Hollywood lifestyle has taken him over, as if each attempted escape brings him back
worse than before. At the end of Blinding Lights you can see he has accepted this fate: the fate of
being trapped in a loop of heartbreak and Hollywood.
This isn't just an album...This is a movie, a horror flick of the reality that is Vegas, and
The Weeknd portrays that in a beautiful, horrific, yet sad way. This beautiful, yet tragic, fantasy
he portrays perfectly suits his mind. This whole entire album is not just an album, but an
experience.

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CONCLUSION

There may not be a pop star alive who commits as fully to a new album era as The
Weeknd. Ever since his pre-fame mixtapes, Abel Tesfaye has crafted each release and the visuals
that go with it to feel like a cohesive, self-contained world. As budgets rise and the price goes up,
the scope of the worlds he can build has expanded far beyond cover art and colour palettes.
After Hours was a groundbreaking album with or without the Grammy awards. But along
with the unfairness of the Grammys as a whole, Abel still got his big moment to shine, getting a
whole Super Bowl halftime show to himself.
His latest album to date, Dawn FM, is a concept album that underscores helplessness as
only a mindset. It is a character’s journey through the phases of purgatory, and the eventual
acceptance of one’s state of being, marking the ending of an era. After its release, Abel Tesfaye
stated point-blank that he is “ready to close The Weeknd chapter.” He went on to explain that it
is not the end of his music career, but an end to the alter ego.
If you are not an XO fan, you are probably wondering why I have referred to Abel
Tesfaye and The Weeknd as two different people when they are clearly the same person. Yes,
that is true, but to put into perspective, The Weeknd is an exaggerated version of Abel Tesfaye’s
old self from Parkdale, and with time came fame which motivated him to stop the abuse of
substances. However, the exaggerated lifestyle and character of The Weeknd and his lyrics is all
people can see now, a version of his old self that everyone fell in love with. But given the
awareness of his realization through After Hours, he subverted his downfall by letting go his bad
habits, continuing to remain modest and humble in a world filled with crazy fans, ungrateful
friends, and failed relationships. Where he is at now completely contradicts how some celebrities
handle these types of mental pressures and fame can baggage. And whether you decide The
Weeknd is a hit maker or just a bad influence, you cannot deny one thing... that being his genius.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

 https://theindianmusicnerd.wordpress.com/2021/08/05/after-hours-the-story/
 https://theriverhawk.org/1733/lifestyle/the-weeknds-trilogy/
 https://www.britannica.com/biography/the-Weeknd
 https://thejakewright.medium.com/the-weeknds-after-hours-era-the-story-behind-the-
album-and-its-impact-on-pop-music-b2c7f17e9baa#:~:text=After%20Hours%20is%20a
%20concept,captivated%20audiences%20around%20the%20world.
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Weeknd
 https://www.vice.com/en/article/rq4ejp/pop-philosophy-i-cant-feel-my-face
 https://www.popsongprofessor.com/blog/2015/09/07/what-does-the-hills-by-the-weeknd-
mean
 https://www.socratic-method.com/the-weeknd/meaning-of-blinding-lights-by-the-
weeknd-21
 https://dailyhive.com/canada/the-weeknd-abel-end
 https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/weeknd-dawn-fm-experience-
review-1313755/
 https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/dec/03/the-weeknd-abel-tesfaye-interview-
music-tom-lamont
 https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2016/12/131964/the-weeknd-drug-use-music-writers-
block
 https://djbooth.net/features/2015-06-10-the-weeknd-overdose-rb

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