Earlier than The Weeknd grew to become a chart-topping pop star, the singer was a faceless pressure of the underground alt-R&B scene. Born Abel Tesfaye, the Toronto native first appeared in 2011 with a trio of independently launched mixtapes: Home of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence. However whilst these data generated widespread curiosity within the singer, The Weeknd remained a thriller, with the clouds from his hazy lyrics billowing his face and actual identify from listeners.
It wasn’t till his major-label debut on Republic Data, 2013’s Kiss Land, that The Weeknd emerged from the shadows and into the highlight. The singer had initially constructed his musical persona round medication, loneliness, and lust – and Kiss Land continued alongside these traces. When it got here time for the follow-up, although, the mainstream world and Tesfaye had been prepared to maneuver towards each other. The consequence, 2015’s Magnificence Behind the Insanity, shot him into stardom. Debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, the album was anchored by a landmark music that shifted the trajectory of the artist’s profession.
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“Can’t Feel My Face” could have been the third single picked from Magnificence Behind the Insanity, nevertheless it stays the largest. Gone was the murky, chilling manufacturing from The Weeknd’s mixtape days. For “Can’t Feel My Face,” The Weeknd known as upon pop music’s legendary hitmaker Max Martin and Ali Payami (finest identified for his Grammy-winning work on Taylor Swift’s 1989). The 2 producers created a bouncy, vibrant melody that drew inspiration from one among The Weeknd’s greatest heroes, Michael Jackson.
“He’s everything to me, so you’re going to hear it in my music,” The Weeknd informed the LA Instances in 2016. “Off the Wall was the album that inspired me to sing. It helped me find my [voice] … “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough,” I stored singing that, and I discovered my falsetto.”
Quite than wanting to flee to the darkest nook of the celebration like his earlier songs steered, “Can’t Feel My Face” rushes you onto the dancefloor as quickly because the beat drops. The lyrics had been additionally a step away from the singer’s earlier work. Right here, he trades in a craving to be alone for a want to by no means go away his lover’s aspect. The paraphernalia references nonetheless stay (“I can’t feel my face when I’m with you, but I love it” is a double entendre that alludes to each the numbing results of medication and the fixed smiling when seeing your lover), however they’re extra subdued for limitless radio play.
The components labored: “Can’t Feel My Face” was an irresistible earworm that not solely grew to become a High 40 radio favourite, nevertheless it’s additionally licensed 8x Platinum and gave The Weeknd his first No. 1 single on Billboard’s Scorching 100 chart. It broke a couple of fascinating data, too: After three nonconsecutive weeks atop the chart, the singer made historical past when his subsequent single, “The Hills,” entered within the second slot. He was the primary act since The Black Eyed Peas to safe the highest two positions on the Scorching 100. When “The Hills” rose to No. 1 the next week, he grew to become the primary artist since Taylor Swift to switch themselves on the high spot.
The music was a real pop phenomenon, showing in sequence like Empire and Being Mary Jane, video video games like Madden NFL 16 and Simply Dance 2017, and even lined by Tom Cruise and Stevie Surprise. By the point awards season rolled round, The Weeknd obtained his career-first Grammy recognition. “Can’t Feel My Face” was nominated for File of the Yr and Finest Pop Solo Efficiency, his “Earned It” single gained Finest R&B Efficiency, and the Magnificence Behind the Insanity album was up for Album of the Yr and Finest City Up to date Album (it gained the latter).
“Can’t Feel My Face” served as an entry level for The Weeknd to discover poppier, extra mainstream sounds that stability a radio-friendly enchantment along with his sordid roots. This fusion has now develop into his signature – and it’s all because of a tune that went from numbing his face to hypnotizing the world.
The Weeknd’s “Can’t Feel My Face” appeared on NOW That’s What I Name Music 56, alongside different hits like Demi Lovato’s “Cool For The Summer.” On the lookout for extra tales behind music’s greatest hits? Try the Now! That’s What I Name Music web page.
