After Hours – Synthwave heartbreak, red jacket
In March 2020, The Weeknd released After Hours on XO/Republic: synthwave heartbreak, a red-jacket visual campaign, and Blinding Lights as a global hit.
The Weeknd – Party Monster
On Starboy (2016), Party Monster opens with filtered synths and a drum pattern that never rushes, with Lana Del Rey in the background.
The Weeknd – After-dark R&B that filled arenas
Abel Tesfaye posted anonymous mixtapes from Toronto in 2011 as The Weeknd and built a shadowy R&B brand that later took over pop radio and stadiums.
The Weeknd – Heartless
On 27 November 2019, The Weeknd released "Heartless" on XO and Republic, and two weeks later it was No. 1 in the United States.
The Weeknd – Less Than Zero
On Dawn FM in January 2022, Less Than Zero pairs Abel Tesfaye with Max Martin and Oscar Holter for a clear synth-pop confession that later went to French radio as a single.
5 things you didn’t know about The Weeknd
Five Weeknd facts with receipts: AGO bedroom exhibit, Ethiopian cassette schooling, a blown-out early Toronto gig, House of Balloons studio money, and a rewritten Uncut Gems cameo.