In summer 2015, I heard through a pop culture podcast that there were two songs currently in the top 5, one of which was the anthem of the summer, and I was shocked to hear that the artist behind these hits was none other than Canadian Abel Tesfaye, a.k.a. The Weeknd. I had been a huge Weeknd fan for 4 years, ever since downloading the free House of Balloons mixtape that I heard about through friends. The dark-as-night vibe of the music, both in sound and lyrical content, was enhanced by the mysterious quality of the artist behind it. Who was The Weeknd? There were no pictures of him anywhere, other than silhouette shots, no hint to his real name, only that he was from Toronto and was really young. A few years later, he started turning up as a guest on some major artists' songs (most notably "Elastic Heart", the Sia song on the Hunger Games soundtrack), and then dropped his first official album, Kissland. Much like his mixtape, Kissland, despite a cameo from fellow Toronto native and hip-hop superstar Drake, was full of dark, moody, long songs that were far from anything that would chart on Billboard or get radio play. His Michael Jackson-esque voice was often buried under effects, and the music was deeply atmospheric. Once again, the lyrics portrayed a young man self-aware of his hedonism, unapologetic but clearly understanding the destructive nature of his behavior. His candidness wasn't without precedent, but it showed an emotional intelligence that you'd never find in other notably self-destructive men such as Keith Richards, Eazy-E, or Jim Morrison.

So in 2015, to imagine that The Weeknd could possibly be a chart-topper was mind-boggling. I sought out the songs, "I Can't Feel My Face" and "The Hills", and was blown away by the fact that he had truly crossed over - these were ridiculously catchy (especially the former track) but retained the double-sided take on partying evident in his earlier material. With "The Hills", the dark, syrupy vibe was still there, but the hook of the song was infectious, and the Michael Jackson within Tesfaye was front and center on the super-hit of the summer, "I Can't Feel My Face". The album from which these two hits came, Beauty Behind the Madness, showed that The Weeknd was perfectly viable as a hitmaker, while the thematic nature of the album gave it a cohesion that is often absent on a simple collection of hits and filler. With the success of the record came a dropping of the veil of mystery surrounding Tesfaye, as images and public appearances became commonplace, and his signature wild hair made him easily recognizable. Still, he rarely gave interviews, and seemed to have a close circle of a few friends, versus the hobnobbing of a Drake, for instance. It seems rare that an artist could make such a seamless transition from indie mystery to superstar, and maintain an essence that was unchanged all the while.

Tesfaye's next Weeknd album, 2016's Starboy, came fast on the heels of Beauty. The fact that it is 18 tracks in length shows that Tesfaye had plenty of music in the hopper, but also earned the record criticism as a "dumping" of material that had none of the thematic feeling of Beauty. It's hard to argue with that contention, as the record indeed feels like a compilation of projects that have been thrown together as a release. That said, in the era of streaming, this is a perfectly viable way to release music. "Collections" of songs make as much sense as a thematic album, in that fans can choose to create their own playlists, mixing and matching songs that they like from the album, and/or with other records. And the thing is, Starboy's tracks are almost all great songs.

The hits are unmistakable, though. Bookending the album, "Starboy" and "I Feel It Coming'" are both collaborations with electronic dance music legends Daft Punk. The two robot super-producers (Frenchmen Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo) have crafted two very different songs, both of which play perfectly to The Weeknd's strengths. The current single, "I Feel It Coming'", is a throwback to the turn of the decade between the 70's and 80's, where Tesfaye and Daft Punk channel Michael Jackson in a way that is both vintage and fresh at the same time. With a video that is purposely filmed to look like a VHS tape, and features 1950's-style sci-fi backdrops, the three of them are fully aware of the classic nature of the song, so it doesn't feel like imitation (like a Bruno Mars song) for young listeners who weren't there the first time around. This was played to perfection on Daft Punk's hit record from a number of years ago, Random Access Memories, and plays perfectly as an unusually-upbeat Weeknd track that finishes off the album with a smile. Check out the Grammys for the only live performance that the three have done together - a hint for what might be to come at a certain couple's wedding (?).