Every Shade of the Weeknd in the ‘After Hours’ Era
The Weeknd has witnessed roaring success with his latest album, ‘After Hours,’ and some tunes appear to be chart favourites. We say this because ‘Blinding Lights’ just made its return to Billboard’s Pop Songs radio airplay charts, at No. 1.
‘Blinding Lights,’ released on XO/Republic Records, previously topped the Pop Songs charts for three weeks, but its total span of reigning, currently, covers a whopping 12 weeks.
The tune, filled to the brim with retro goodness and peppy beats, is a nod towards the Weeknd’s love for music from the 80s. “I’ve always had an admiration for the era before I was born. You can hear as far back as my first mixtape [2011’s House of Balloons] that the ’80s — Siouxsie & the Banshees, Cocteau Twins — play such a huge role in my sound. Sometimes it helps me create a new sound and sometimes it’s just obvious. I’m just glad the world’s into it now,” the starboy confessed.
Well, this calls for a celebration and so, we decided to look back on all the eerie yet stunning pictures that graced us during the ‘After Hours’ era.
Photo Credits: The Weeknd’s Official Instagram
1. The caption is key here. It was the start of a wonderfully mad era. And yes, the grayscale filter makes this look like a shot out of the cult classic, ‘Psycho’.
2. This was our first look of the Weeknd in ‘Heartless’. Psychedelic and unnerving, this music video set the pace for the other tracks.
3. The Weeknd was a whole phenomenon, running through corridors in that dazzling jacket, live on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
4. A lot of tracks on ‘After Hours’ were a plea for redemption and along the way, we also got a taste of a completely new side to the Weeknd.
5. Aah, a classic. The wound on his nose has always looked uncomfortably realistic. Abel, did something go down?
6. Is that the Joker? The cover art for the Weeknd’s album, ‘After Hours’ had us thoroughly intimated. He looks like he’s about to say, “Let’s put a smile on that face…”
7. Alright, just admit it, the Weeknd has always been way ahead of his time. And that’s why, his tunes have made themselves at home, on the charts.
8. Every new release gives birth to some remarkable fanart. This lucky artist, got their work featured on the Weeknd’s feed, now that’s a real big deal.
9. Here he is, two sides of the same coin. Might we also point out that his pose looks like something straight out of X-Men.
10. Thought we’d wrap with this gem, because isn’t it just the perfect representation of 2020?
By: Nina Karun
