When Abel Tesfaye, better known by his stage name “The Weeknd,” first emerged with his breakout mixtape “House of Balloons” in 2011, he was portrayed as a mysterious yet hedonistic character that numbed his existence through partying, girls and drugs (They say my brain be melting / and the only thing I’ll tell them is I’m living for the present and the future don’t exist). Tesfaye was able to create his persona through his battle with insecurity and anxiety, using destructive vices, such as drugs, as a crutch for both his anxiety and songwriting. In his early years, Tesfaye also refused to show his face or agree to interviews, due to his insecurity of his looks and speaking abilities. He instead chose images of scantily clad women to represent his work.
Over the course of his career, Tesfaye seemed to be winning that battle against his demons. He decided to perform live at music festivals such as Coachella. He became the face of Puma in 2016 and moved into the pop music genre. His last album, “Starboy,” featured songs such as “Starboy” and “Reminder” that reminded listeners of the success Tesfaye achieved through his music. He was able to live the high life through “platinum off a mixtape” and “traveling around the globe, make a couple mil’ a show.” He decided to become sober and attributed his progress to a steady support system.
However, it seems Tesfaye has now returned to the dark, self-destructive character he first created in his new EP “My Dear Melancholy.”
Tesfaye contemplates suicide in his new EP, asking “What makes him wanna take his life? His happiness is never real.” He mourns losing a woman he loved and wonders if he was ever truly happy. Tesfaye decides to revert back to his old methods of coping with his emotional pain. Tesfaye claims he has “two red pills to take the blues way” and his method of numbing the pain of his heartbreak harks back to the demons and vices he used when he created “House of Balloons.”
Tesfaye reveals the reason he is distraught is because the woman he loved had left him for someone else. He realizes he “was just another pit stop” until his lover was able to leave him for someone else. Tesfaye feels betrayed and destroyed by love. His lyricism seems to ask, what is the point of loving someone again if there’s a chance that it will end in flames? Tesfaye decides there is no point to love someone else, as there will always be his vices.
There has been some fan speculation that “My Dear Melancholy,” is the first of several EPs that Tesfaye plans to release this year. Whether his future music will continue to follow a darker tone, or go back to the upbeat tempo of “Starboy,” is yet to be seen. It is certain, however, that Tesfaye will continue to release music that is related to that battle with his demons and whether or not he will be able to overcome them once more.
