This Sunday, The Weeknd will perform his distinctly dark brand of pop at the Super Bowl halftime show. On the surface, the alter-ego of Abel Tesfaye is a strange pick for the ostensibly family-friendly main-stage — for more than a decade, The Weeknd has fused the sounds of pop, R&B, and trap into a cinematic horror-thriller about drugs, sex and the excess of ... Show More
Jul 21
II. Justice for the verse (ft. Audrey Hobert)
Everybody sings the chorus, but superfans quote the verse. On this episode of Switched on Pop, Charlie and Nate trace the verse from Shakespeare through opera to TikTok, and songwriter Audrey Hobert shares her philosophy of specific verses and anthemic choruses: you can't have th ... Show More
33m 44s
Sep 2024
The Weeknd's "Can't Feel My Face"
One Song Nation – you don’t have to worry no more. Diallo & LUXXURY know you can go without learning how The Weeknd’s massive 2015 hit, “Can’t Feel My Face,” made him into a global megastar. On this episode, they break down how The Weeknd collaborated with Swedish powerhouse song ... Show More
1h 13m
Jan 2023
The Weeknd Split Personality
The rise of The Weeknd. Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. Known for his sonic versatility and dark lyricism, his music explores escapism, romance, and melancholia, and is often inspired by pers ... Show More
17m 13s
Aug 2022
“Hey Ya” by Outkast: Everything You Didn't Know
Alex and Jordan go deep on the idiosyncratic hip hop mainstay, often cited as one of the best songs of the 21st century. They get into the deceptively heartbreaking lyrics, the unexpected musical inspirations, the brain-crushingly complex music video, and the science of why it’s ... Show More
1h 5m
