One of the industry’s leading R&B artists, Canadian singer and songwriter, originally known as Abel Tesfaye entered the music scene in 2011 with ‘House Alf Balloons’, his first mixtape.

Whilst building his music career he had the opportunity to work alongside artists including Wiz Khalifa and Drake. The Weeknd had huge success with his 2015 album ‘Beauty Behind The Madness’ for which he won a Grammy. His follow up album which included artists such as Daft Punk, ‘Starboy’ was also awarded a Grammy. The Weeknd recently made his first feature film debut in the crime comedy ‘Uncut Gems’. 

‘After Hours’ offers a sinister start, slow chords and an echoy ambience lead into a song that oozes class. Vocally, we have a voice that is very confident in the higher ranges, but with a powerful tone, that as the song progresses ventures lower down the register and delivers a really quirky unique sound. There are hints of Sam Smith in the vocals and it marks a different sound to some of The Weeknd’s newer fans, but his followers from day 1 will feel this. After a few minutes we get a drum beat that kicks up the tempo, a gear shift and flow of rhythm that moves with the melody beautifully. What we hear lets us relax, confidently knowing we are in the hands of a seriously talented producer and music creator. There is passion in the lyrics and a deeper message portrayed in the words which is highlighted by the tone changes in the music. 

This song will get people moving, even though that might sound surprising from the first few seconds. The beat and blend of instruments takes us to a place that drives and gives a powerful energy. 

 R&B     Pop 

Author: Phil Arnold

Phil Arnold is a musician, producer and music reviewer from Devon, in the South West of England. Whilst not writing music reviews, Phil also writes and records under the name of Ugbrooke.