Decode The Weeknd’s Music Branding

The Weeknd announced no later than the release of his HBO series The Idol, that he shall be rebranding himself as Abel Tesfaye and another album, following Dawn FM would be his last album as The Weeknd. It is the end of an era. But why does it feel so?

Abel called The Weeknd his alter ego and that name became much more than a brand to his fans and followers, over the years. His discography as The Weeknd has stood out in the world of synth and R&B music. The rebranding in this context, does come as a surprise.

In this article, we have tried to answer a few questions:

1. What was The Weeknd as a music brand?
   
   
2. Why did The Weeknd work?
   
   
3. Why rebrand to Abel Tesfaye?
   
   
4. What branding techniques could you learn from The Weeknd?
   
   
5. Our Final Thoughts

What was The Weeknd as a music brand?

As a fan of his music, I’d have to say that The Weeknd was a great personality that Abel put on very well. But let’s look at The Weeknd from another musician’s perspective. What was The Weeknd? 

The Weeknd was a brand that was mysterious - just when people thought that they figured him out, there was more and it was forever changing - he couldn’t be defined by a single genre and his storytelling always had new elements to offer. He technically never ran out of things to give. 

When speaking of the stage name, Abel told Forbes that he wanted to create a fanbase for his music and art, so he didn’t really want to put a face to it. That’s how he decided not to have a ‘defining music brand’ in the first place - he wanted being brandless to be his ‘brand’ - someone who is malleable and can be everything all at once. This explains why his music couldn’t be defined by one single genre

But there are a few distinctive characteristics that fans have picked up in The Weeknd’s albums. As Abel said, The Weeknd is his alter ego, and thus, the themes he usually explored were darker - infidelity, sex, drugs, fame, and success. The Weeknd was a meticulously crafted powerful visual brand. His early use of intriguing imagery, combined with his characteristic haircut and wardrobe choices, contributed to the creation of a memorable appearance. Album covers, music videos, and advertising materials are all part of his aesthetic brand, and they all contribute to the total fan experience.

Why did The Weeknd work?

Mindblowing Stage Personality 

Live shows by The Weeknd are noted for their theatrics and excellent production values. His vibrant personality and presence onstage add to the overall image of The Weeknd, offering those who do manage to attend his concert, a lasting memory. During live performances, he uses imaginative stage configurations (projections, simulations), lighting tricks, and graphics that reinforce his identity while providing a unified and tactile experience for viewers. He makes sure that his listeners are immersed in the world of his alter ego, The Weeknd. It is truly, a one-of-a-kind experience that people actively want to be a part of. He cleverly sells his brand through his performances which ultimately comes down to his ability to create a real time otherworldly experience that caters to all the 5 senses of the viewer. 

Daring songwriting 

The Weeknd effortlessly spoke about the darker side of his themes in his songs - you’d know that if no one wrote about it, The Weeknd will. Why would anyone want to write a song about the other pov on cheating in a relationship? No one would relate to it, people would say it is morally wrong and it wouldn’t resonate with the mass. But it did. Is There Someone Else, and Moth To A Flame is precisely about infidelity and there’s no justification in the act itself - the tracks are such that the lyrics are simple and raw. 

At first, such an approach very early in his career made him categorised under ‘underground’ artists, but he slowly seemed to break through that box and made thousands of listeners, over time, understand and appreciate his songwriting. Over the years, The Weeknd became the face of someone who’d talk about raw human emotions that everyone experiences, even those that we aren’t proud of. He humanized so many experiences for his listeners and that eventually became a distinctive character of The Weeknd. 

Real-time evolution 

Every music artist evolves over time and one can observe that through their discography and touring abilities. With The Weeknd, the evolution was real-time, in the sense that he made sure his listeners and viewers could actually see the growth and differences in the personality. He made The Weeknd’s journey accessible to his fans, something that not every musician does. By making it accessible, he made The Weeknd seem real and vulnerable with emotions, so when you know The Weeknd talks about his lows, he will also show his highs big time - which has an impactful moment. 

Additionally, The Weeknd always experimented with his musical choices. There wasn’t a genre he didn’t try, a certain trend he didn’t include, and so on. He made I feel It Coming even before dream pop was a thing. He made the perfect mix of jazz and 80s dance in Can’t Feel My Face before DNCE became a thing. He even included a lofi section in the Blinding Lights music video! 

He first gained attention for his darker, moody mixtapes, but over the years, he learned to smoothly combine aspects of pop, electronic, and even rock into his later albums. Albums such as Starboy and After Hours demonstrate the capacity to adapt his style while still retaining an integrated and unique musical personality.

Even his themes began to show some level of growth and expansion. While his early music frequently explored darker and immoral themes, his most recent albums have explored themes of status, observation, and individual improvement. The Weeknd sure did grow a lot from Often to Out of Time. This thematic progression helped him develop and maintain relationships with listeners at various phases of life and gives his music catalog an emotional arc.

Why rebrand to Abel Tesfaye?

In many interviews, Abel has said that he wanted to kill his alter ego, The Weeknd, and rebrand himself as a musician under his name, Abel Tesfaye. He reportedly asserted that he’s been going through a cathartic path as a musician and this rebranding will help him bring in another side to himself to his fans. He also seemed very confident with the move. He suggested in his pitch that, ‘If I wanted to start a cult, I could,’ which explains the trust he has in his loyal fanbase, who’d expectedly follow him wherever he’d land and whoever he’d end up being, as a musician.

Abel may seem unnervingly confident with his bold move, but is he sure of his fans?

The news received a lot of mixed reactions. Some were curious to know what image would Abel serve, will it be completely opposite to The Weeknd? Other fans don’t think he would actually rebrand to Abel and don’t seem to understand the point of killing The Weeknd as a music brand. 

We believe that this rebranding (if he pulls it through) will work, and here’s why:

• Novelty

The Weeknd has been a stellar storyteller and his music will stand out till the end of time. But his discography itself is a story and if he pulls through this last album soon, then the trilogy that his fans are calling, After Hours, Dawn FM, and his yet-to-be-released album, would be complete. Abel as a name, as a personality and as a brand would be a clean slate for someone who’s followed him as The Weeknd - there’s unlimited scope to provide something new and that always ups the game in the music industry. Right now, no one knows who Abel Tesfaye is going to be, it is already the talk of the town and pretty much a solid marketing tactic. He is still mysterious and he can offer anything, backed with great music PR - people will be ready to take it too. 

Although, Abel isn’t the first one to do this. Madonna reinvented herself multiple times throughout her music career. She has continually adopted fresh looks, images, and styles of music, from her early days as the ‘Material Girl’ to her latter identities. 

• Breaking stereotypes

A lot of people who are causal listeners have deemed The Weeknd as misogynistic for his approach on darker themes on sex and relationships. Regardless of how true they are, as Abel, he’d be given a great chance to break those stereotypes and become something or represent those themes that no one would have expected. And this would work in his favour because any amount of controversy or backlash he’d have otherwise faced as The Weeknd would subside because it is Abel who is answering it all. Additionally, Abel doesn’t necessarily have to make synth pop. For all we know, Abel might as well make indie music. 

For instance, consider Bob Dylan. He was first linked with the folk music movement of the early 1960s. Nevertheless, by adding electric sounds with songs like Bringing It All Back Home and Highway 61 Revisited, he rejected the notion of the acoustic folk ballad and adopted a more electro-rock-oriented approach. Guess what, it worked! 

• Relevancy 

The music industry is rather, a competitive space, even for top artists like The Weeknd, and by rebranding himself as Abel, he would be able to stay relevant which would last well as a music brand. This may be through collaborations as well. As The Weeknd, he collaborated with Ariana Grande, Doja Cat, Lana Del Rey, and so on. Perhaps, like Abel, he’d be able to collaborate with artists who have completely different sounds, like Laufey, FKJ, Masego, and so on. 

My personal bet is that Abel would have a stronger voice for heavier issues and would probably do something that Kendrick Lamar has done - speak about social issues in his music - something The Weeknd would never do because, well, he can’t see the world beyond himself. 

What branding techniques could you learn from The Weeknd?

We all secretly hope that The Weeknd doesn’t die and all this announcement is to gain some attention, but what can you lot learn from The Weeknd?

Visual Identity 

We can’t stress this enough - everything you wear, everything you show, everything you make, and everything you project, on screen, off screen - matters and adds up as your music brand. A strong visual identity can take you to lot of places and can help you sustain in the long run. The Weeknd’s aesthetic has been consistent as well as unique over his entire career. From his cryptic and intriguing first look to his sleeker and styled appearance in recent years, having an identifiable visual identity contributes in leaving an unforgettable impression. Just go through his music videos, his album artworks, his merchandise, and his stage props. You’ll know what we are talking about. 

Symbolism 

The Weeknd was always saying something between the lines, was metaphorising his lyrics, and all that chase to know the real meaning added onto “The Weekndness.” He made sure that his brand XO as well as his lyrical melodies, and music videos, all connected and hinted at something bigger - adding to the mysteriousness of The Weeknd. This is something you could definitely try to bring in your own music brand, the ability to leave the audience lingering in thought, wonder, and curiosity to crack you open and know more about you. 

Calculated Collaborations

There’s no better way to say this - he KNEW who would be perfect for which song and he was bang on every single time with his collaborations. Stargirl Interlude would probably sound totally different if Lana wasn’t a part of it and so would Save Your Tears remix without Ariana. 

The Weeknd made calculated and thought-out collaborations and that really added to his big picture too. He not only connected with those who have similar sounds like Doja Cat but also those who differ in some sense, like Madonna. Collaboration with other popular musicians and producers has been an important part of The Weeknd’s branding strategy. Partnerships of this kind can introduce a musician to fresh viewers and boost their visibility within the business.

Experimentation

If you ever feel that one genre is working great for you and you should stick to it, remember that Taylor Swift went from a country artist to a pop star within a few years. Be open to try and experiment with your sound, is all that we’re saying. 

The Weeknd’s shift from R&B to synth worked great because of his brand image which always portrayed him as someone who bends genres and fuses different music styles. He has successfully pushed creative boundaries and how!

Our Final Thoughts

The Weeknd as a music brand and as an artist was top notch but maybe, there’s much more that Abel could offer in the coming years. We think this is a very interesting concept and we’re looking forward to seeing how it all unfolds!

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