{"id":2415,"date":"2015-08-29T21:42:59","date_gmt":"2015-08-29T21:42:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.partyinc.com\/?p=2415"},"modified":"2015-08-29T21:42:59","modified_gmt":"2015-08-29T21:42:59","slug":"the-weeknd-beauty-behind-the-branding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.partyinc.com\/the-weeknd-beauty-behind-the-branding\/","title":{"rendered":"The Weeknd: Beauty Behind the Branding"},"content":{"rendered":"

Beauty Behind the Madness<\/em> tries to cash in on the Toronto R&B singer\u2019s dead-eyed hedonist persona, but is at its best when it lightens up.<\/p>\n

Here it is, the unlikeliest contender for Christian rock song of the year: \u201cAngel\u201d by The Weeknd. Over piano chords with all the uplift of a hymn, guitars in soft-rock reverie, and the kind of thudding drum sounds that kill on megachurch stages, Abel Tesfaye asks the heavenly figure of the song title to redeem him, to \u201cbring the light.\u201d For the song\u2019s finale\u2014the closing moments of the 25-year-old Toronto R&B artist\u2019s new album, Beauty Behind the Madness<\/em>\u2014he and the singer Maty Noyes harmonize with what sounds like a children\u2019s choir, proclaiming, over and over, \u201cI hope you find somebody to love.\u201d<\/p>\n

That this song hasn\u2019t already led to mocking memes placing Tesfaye\u2019s big, knotted updo in 700 Club<\/em> promos is largely a testament to the power of branding. A song like \u201cAngel,\u201d as cheesy and beautiful as it is, can\u2019t be evaluated outside of the persona created by the rest of Tesfaye\u2019s music\u2014that of a dead-eyed hedonist, so addicted to cocaine and meaningless sex that neither is even fun anymore. No fan of The Weeknd really believes he\u2019s getting salvation. The plea is poignant because it\u2019s futile.<\/p>\n

Though he isn\u2019t yet a household name, Tesfaye has in the past few years demonstrated the same kind of PR savvy usually associated with Marvel movie rollouts and Taylor Swift. When his mixtapes of depraved, depressing, and gorgeous R&B <\/a>hit the Internet in 2011, he kept his face and identity hidden<\/a> even as the acclaim piled up, thereby building his mystique. After a largely ignored major-label debut, he told <\/a>his new and powerful bosses that he wanted to become the biggest pop star in the world\u2014but also maintain his old fan base. Voila: There he was, with a Rated-R verse on the latest hit<\/a> from the normally PG Ariana Grande. There he was, offering a sneakily catchy waltz<\/a> for the 50 Shades of Grey<\/em> soundtrack. There he was, on stage at the Apple Music debut<\/a>, performing a Max Martin-produced single about druggy lust.<\/p>\n