Reviews

Dawn FM by The Weeknd Debuts at Number 1

Shreyas Jindal, staff writer|January 14, 2022

Photo used with permission from Google Commons

The Weeknd performs his album Starboy live at a festival.

On Jan. 7, Abel Tesfaye “The Weeknd” released his fifth studio album titled Dawn FM. This album is a rollercoaster of emotions, from an ‘80s vibe to a slow and smooth flow. The album has a tracklist of 16 songs and is also narrated by actor Jim Carrey.

The Weeknd is already an established artist with accolades including three grammys and one of his songs, “Blinding Lights,” becoming the biggest song in billboard chart history, surpassing pop icon Micheal Jackson’s “Thriller” for the number one spot.

Fans were anticipating new music from The Weeknd since his album After Hours. The album debuted at number one, beating the anticipated rap album from artist Gunna. My favourite song from the album is “Out of Time” because of the audio production and The Weeknd’s voice. The Weeknd has outdone himself with this album; my favourite songs are “Less than Zero” and “Best Friends.” “I have always been a fan of The Weeknd and I believe this is one of his best albums,” sophomore Omar Jobe said.

Fans on social media have been comparing The Weeknd to Micheal Jackson, as he has said in interviews he admires Jackson and some of his songs are inspired by him. Ranking the top five songs on the album, I put “Out of Time” at number one, “How Do I Make You Love Me” at number two, “Here We Go… Again” at number three, “Sacrifice” at number four, and “Less Than Zero” at number five. The features on this album are a bit interesting, with artists like Tyler, The Creator and Lil Wayne. As much as I liked to have seen artists like Drake be featured on the album, we get a lot more from The Weeknd than we already do.

Fans and new listeners alike critiqued his album cover, saying it is not creative. I think that all of The Weeknd’s album covers have been unique and cool, which I respect, as it shows his creativity and the effort he puts into his music. “I think the album cover fits the album perfectly as this is more of an ‘80s type of album so the picture of an older looking Abel fits it,” sophomore Anthony Johnson said.

The Weeknd recently cancelled his 2022 After Hours tour, which upset fans, as they had already bought tickets, but he announced an even bigger worldwide tour for later in 2022, which will hopefully be an After Hours and Dawn FM tour. “I bought tickets and was fuming when he cancelled but now that this worldwide tour was announced I am more than excited to go to his concert,” sophomore Angel Escobar said.

I give Dawn FM a 9/10. The Weeknd’s creativity and production exceeds expectations, raising the bar already for 2022 and being a contender for album of the year.