The Weeknd’s most recent album “Dawn FM” quickly hit the charts with great hits like “Sacrifice” at #2 on the Billboard Global 200 and “Take My Breath” ranking in at #10.
The album also includes a number of amazing collaborators. In the intro “Dawn FM,” you are greeted by none other than Jim Carrey to guide you through the album.
The first third of the album we hear “Gasoline,” sending the album into a synth-pop rush which continues with the 80s vibe set through the whole album. Then “How do I make you love me?” continues with a very upbeat 80s vibe with an added electronic feel. Going into “Take My Breath,” The Weeknd continues his added feel of electronic club mix.
As we move into “Sacrifice,” The Weeknd offers pandemic comfort and catharsis on a disco-feel of a dance floor.
He sings, “I hold you through the toughest parts when you feel like it’s the end / cause life is still worth living.”
These same statements of comfort show up throughout the album alongside the recurring theme of Michael Jackson influence. This is most prevalent in the song “Out of Time,” which invokes the same pop style and feel as Michael Jackson’s hit song “Human Nature.”
The Weeknd rounds out the album with “Here we go again” (Feat. Tyler, The Creator) and “Less Than Zero”. The first song is a slow jam that has been fueling some rumors of a romance with Angelina Jolie. Then last but not least “Less Than Zero ” rounds out the album with some great 80s jams that will get stuck in your head for weeks.
Compared to The Weeknd’s first album “After Hours,” this album has shown not only growth in the artist himself, but also in the music that he is releasing. In his first album, the majority of his music was based on drugs, sex, and being in complete darkness. “Dawn FM” has some mention of those things but it seems to be a transition from the darkness and represents instead the growth into possibly a better person.
“After Hours” made up to $444K in sales during its opening week; “Dawn FM”’ didn’t even generate half of that with $148K. The Weeknd seems unbothered by these numbers and what really matters to him is experiencing the album with his fans. Overall, The Weeknd has yet again released another amazing album, topping the charts in 10 different countries around the world and two tracks ranking in the Top Ten of the Billboard’s Global 200 chart. There is so much potential with this album and the possibilities are endless.
