Chart Mondays: The Weeknd Featuring Daft Punk - Starboy



It's Monday which means it's Chart Mondays, and with James Arthur reigning supreme at the top of the UK singles chart with "Say You Won't Let Go", it opens the Top 10 to my Chart Mondays review. In this case, it leaves me with no choice but to review this music video as I have either reviewed all the other music videos in the UK top 10 singles chart, or they don't have an official music video. Therefore I am reviewing this one which is currently at number two on the chart. The Weeknd kills his previous self and smashes his apartment up before jumping in a car with a cat that transforms into a panther. He is definitely a "Starboy", look what you've done.

The Weeknd, real name Abel Tesfaye, has really come into his own in the past few years. Having done all right when he first hit the music scene, he has definitely built his name and had batted out hits left, right and centre. This one just proves how far he has come, and how much more he has to give. Recently he has changed his hair style, which definitely goes well with this whole new direction. Featured on the track is Daft Punk, an electronic music duo consisting of Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. They have been going for years and years and have many hits. Most recently "Get Lucky" brought them back into the public eye and since then they have released hit song after hit song. They'll always be popular. This song has had international success and was written by Abel Tesfaye, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, Thomas Bangalter, Martin McKinney and Henry Walter.

Directed by Grant Singer, this video is The Weeknd reinventing himself. With a new album a new sound and this is definitely the start of something new, so why not say goodbye to the previous era and start a whole new one. He has changed his hairstyle, killed his previous self and smashed everything in his apartment that was a part of the previous era.

The narrative is interesting, watching him kill his former self through asphyxiation using a plastic bag; it's definitely surprising. He finds a pink neon cross which he uses to smash the place, before setting alight his wardrobe. It all a part of the previous album, saying goodbye to it.

He next goes to the garage and chooses a car and rides off into the night with a black cat in the passenger seat, which soon transforms into a panther. The entire video says goodbye to his previous album and the music that definitely made him popular.

It's clear The Weeknd likes his cars, his choices in the garage are the Lamborghini Aventador SV Roadster, a Bentley Mulsanne and the McLaren P1. The latter is actually owned by The Weeknd himself, which is the one he chooses to drive away in.

Daft Punk appears only in a portrait of themselves which is hung on the wall. Otherwise, they are nowhere to be seen, which isn't really surprising. This usually is the case when DJs and producers are featured on a track.

Overall, this is a well-planned music video that is fully in-depth. It has a performance and a narrative built in one. The Weeknd pulls both off at the same time perfectly, while also killing his previous self. His performance vibes pour from him, and boy can he put on a show!
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