"Starboy" is the lead single off The Weeknd's upcoming third studio album of the same name. The song features French electronic duo Daft Punk. It was released on September 22, 2016.
Background
"Starboy" is a Jamaican slang for someone who is seen as cool or important, even if it’s just amongst their colleagues. The song incorporates themes of the extravagance associated with a celebrity lifestyle, as well as discussing how the celebrity lifestyle can make an entertainer fragile.[1]
On July 15, 2016, Wendy Goldstein, A&R of Republic Records, was interviewed and said that The Weeknd will be working with Daft Punk in two days. On August 16, 2016, The Weeknd posted on Instagram with two robot figures sitting on top of a speaker.[2]
On September 2, 2016, Abel posted on Twitter with the caption "three fall leaves" indicating three weeks left for the release of the song. 2 weeks after, Abel posted again with "one fall leaf and an hourglass".[3][4]
Release and promotion
Abel delete all of his Instagram posts on September 15, 2016 hinting that a single is coming, just what like he did in "The Hills".[5]
The song was released digitally worldwide on September 22, 2016 and impacted rhythmic radio on September 27, 2016.
On October 1, 2016, Abel performed "Starboy" and his new promotional single, "False Alarm", which was released a week after "Starboy", on the Season 42 premiere of Saturday Night Live.[6]
Abel was supposed to perform on the Meadows Music & Art Festival on the same day he was performing on Saturday Night Live but got cancelled, American hip hop artist J. Cole replaced him.[7]
Abel performed "Starboy" on the 2016 MTV Europe Music Awards on November 6, 2016.[8]
Music video
On September 26, 2016, Abel posts multiple photos of him in a car hinting that a music video is coming. On September 27, 2016, Abel posted on his various social media accounts a poster of the music video for "Starboy", which will be released on September 28, 2016. The music video got nominated for best video on the 2016 MTV Europe Music Awards before the release and won. The award show held at the Ahoy Rotterdam in Rotterdam, Netherlands on November 6, 2016.[9][10][11]
The official music video for the song was released through The Weeknd's official Vevo account on September 28, 2016 on YouTube. The video was set in his house in Hollywood Hills.
The video has been described as the singer's attempt to kill his former/old persona, perhaps signaling he is reinventing himself with this new album, by suffocating himself, clipping his old hairstyle, and crushing his glass-framed platinum records.[12][13]
Critical reception
Madison Vein of Entertainment Weekly graded the song B+ and said, "The Weeknd may be a star, but he hasn’t forgotten what made him: lascivious lyrics and a snarling, occasionally cruel look at his surroundings."[14]
Commercial performance
"Starboy" debuted at No. 40 in Billboard Hot 100 for the chart dated October 8, 2016 despite only one day of sales and four days of airplay had left for the song.[15] The song skyrocketed to No. 3 the following week.[16] The song debuted at No. 12 in Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and topped the chart the following week.[17]
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
I'm tryna put you in the worst mood, ah
P1 cleaner than your church shoes, ah
Milli point two just to hurt you, ah
All red Lamb’ just to tease you, ah
None of these toys on lease too, ah
Made your whole year in a week too, yah
Main bitch out your league too, ah
Side bitch out of your league too, ah
[Pre-Chorus]
House so empty, need a centerpiece
20 racks a table cut from ebony
Cut that ivory into skinny pieces
Then she clean it with her face man I love my baby
You talking money, need a hearing aid
You talking bout me, I don't see a shade
Switch up my style, I take any lane
I switch up my cup, I kill any pain
[Chorus + Daft Punk]
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Look what you've done
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
I’m a muuuhfuckin' starboy
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Look what you've done
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
I'm a muuuhfuckin' starboy
[Verse 2]
Every day a nigga try to test me, ah
Every day a nigga try to end me, ah
Pull off in that Roadster SV, ah
Pockets overweight, gettin' hefty, ah
Coming for the king, that's a far cry, ah
I come alive in the fall time, I
No competition, I don't really listen
I’m in the blue Mulsanne bumping New Edition
[Pre-Chorus]
House so empty, need a centerpiece
20 racks a table cut from ebony
Cut that ivory into skinny pieces
Then she clean it with her face man I love my baby
You talking money, need a hearing aid
You talking bout me, I don’t see a shade
Switch up my style, I take any lane
I switch up my cup, I kill any pain
[Chorus + Daft Punk]
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Look what you've done
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
I’m a muuuhfuckin' starboy
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Look what you've done
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
I'm a muuuhfuckin’ starboy
[Verse 3]
Let a nigga Brad Pitt
Legend of the fall took the year like a bandit
Bought mama a crib and a brand new wagon
Now she hit the grocery shop looking lavish
Star Trek roof in that Wraith of Khan
Girls get loose when they hear this song
100 on the dash get me close to God
We don't pray for love, we just pray for cars
[Pre-Chorus]
House so empty, need a centerpiece
20 racks a table cut from ebony
Cut that ivory into skinny pieces
Then she clean it with her face man I love my baby
You talking money, need a hearing aid
You talking 'bout me, I don't see a shade
Switch up my style, I take any lane
I switch up my cup, I kill any pain
[Chorus + Daft Punk]
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Look what you've done
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
I'm a muuuhfuckin' starboy
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Look what you've done
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
I'm a muuuhfuckin' starboy
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Look what you've done
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
I'm a muuuhfuckin' starboy
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Look what you've done
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
I'm a muuuhfuckin' starboy
Credits and personnel
- Background Vocals - Daft Punk
- Co-producer - Cirkut, Martin "Doc" McKinney
- Engineer (Mix) - John Hanes
- Engineer, Recorded By - Florian Lagatta, Josh Smith, Martin "Doc" McKinney
- Featuring - Daft Punk
- Mixed By - Serban Ghenea
- Producer - Abel Tesfaye, Daft Punk
- Samples - Closer by Nine Inch Nails
- Vocals - The Weeknd
- Written By - Abel Tesfaye, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, Henry Russell Walter, Martin McKinney, Thomas Banglater
- Written By ("Out Here" Interpolation) - Abel Tesfaye
- Video Producer - Julian LeMaitre, Nina Soriano
- Video Director - Grant Singer
Chart performance
For other chart peaks, go here.
| Billboard Hot 100 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Debut date: October 8, 2016 | Wks. on chart: 7 | Peak: 2 | |
| 40 - 3 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 | |||
| UK Singles | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Debut date: October 6, 2016 | Wks. on chart: 6 | Peak: 2 | |
| 3 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 4 - 4 | |||
Sales and certifications
| Country | Sales | Certifications |
|---|---|---|
| Worldwide | 1.451.000 | - |
| United States | 520,000 | - |
| United Kingdom | 300,000 | Silver |
| Australia | 70,000 | Platinum |
| Canada | 50,000 | Gold |
| Germany | 45,000 | - |
| Italy | 25,000 | - |
| Sweden | 20,000 | Gold |
| New Zealand | 15,000 | Gold |
| South Korea | 15,000 | - |
| France | 15,000 | - |
Airplays
The table covers peak spins, audience and bullets of "Starboy" from All Stations.
| Spins | Audience | Bullets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 34,640 | 184.39 | |
| Pop | 16,498 | 96.68 | 5,922 |
| Hot AC | 3,690 | 17.30 | 820 |
| Rhythmic | 7,023 | 32.92 | 2,265 |
| Urban | 2,572 | 14.59 | 1,067 |
| AC | 82 | 0.23 | 45 |
| Urban AC | 410 | 1.65 | 154 |
| Alternative | 262 | 0.80 | 128 |
| Canada | 2,671 | 11.91 | 1,284 |
| Canada Hot | 1,188 | 5.57 | 366 |
| Spain | 198 | 2.11 | 85 |
| Latin | 46 | 0.64 | 27 |
Streams
Stream figures were taken from Spotify Charts. The site covers weekly charts since July 16, 2015. The table will only records weekly streams inside the top 100. If no table can be seen below, the song didn't reach top 100 in the weekly charts since July 16, 2015.
| Date | Pos. | Streams | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23/09/2016 - 29/09/2016 | 2 | 31,485,099 | |
| 30/09/2016 - 06/10/2016 | 2 | 31,601,023 | |
| 07/10/2016 - 13/10/2016 | 2 | 31,252,075 | |
| 14/10/2016 - 20/10/2016 | 2 | 31,231,858 | |
| 21/10/2016 - 27/10/2016 | 2 | 29,548,019 | |
| 28/10/2016 - 03/11/2016 | 2 | 28,668,507 | |
| 04/11/2016 - 10/11/2016 |
Total Spotify Streams (as of October 27, 2016): 195,035,490
Videos
External links
References
- ↑ NME - Track Review: The Weeknd And Daft Punk Collaborate On 'Starboy', But It's Not Quite The Dream Team-Up You Might Think
- ↑ FADER - A Republic Records Executive Says That The Weeknd Is Working With Daft Punk
- ↑ Twitter - September 2, 2016
- ↑ Twitter - September 15, 2016
- ↑ Twitter - Abel deletes all of his Instagram posts
- ↑ Hollywood Life - The Weeknd Slays Performance Of New Single ‘Starboy’ On ‘SNL’ Season Premiere — Watch
- ↑ Spin - J. Cole Replaces the Weeknd as Meadows Music and Arts Festival Headliner
- ↑ Billboard - Watch The Weeknd's Dazzling 'Starboy' Performance at the 2016 MTV EMAs
- ↑ YourEDM - The Weeknd Announces "Starboy" Music Video Will Tomorrow
- ↑ Pitchfork - The Weeknd and Daft Punk’s “Starboy” Video Isn’t Out Yet, Still Gets MTV EMA Nomination
- ↑ Billboard - 2016 MTV EMAs: See the Full Winners List
- ↑ Billboard - The Weeknd Unveils Second New 'Starboy' Single, the Frantic 'False Alarm': Listen
- ↑ Billboard - The Weeknd's 'Starboy' Lyrics & Video a Love Letter to Luxury Cars
- ↑ EW - The Weeknd's 'Starboy': EW Review
- ↑ Billboard - The Chainsmokers' 'Closer' Leads Hot 100 for Sixth Week & D.R.A.M.'s 'Broccoli' Hits Top 10
- ↑ Billboard - The Chainsmokers' 'Closer' Tops Hot 100, The Weeknd's 'Starboy' Rockets to No. 3
- ↑ Billboard - The Weeknd chart history
| |
|---|---|
| November 25, 2016 • 68:40 • XO/Republic Records | |
| Songs | |
| Starboy • Party Monster • False Alarm • Reminder • Rockin' • Secrets • True Colors • Stargirl Interlude • Sidewalks • Six Feet Under • Love To Lay • A Lonely Night • Attention • Ordinary Life • Nothing Without You • All I Know • Die For You • I Feel It Coming | |
| Artists | |
| The Weeknd • Daft Punk • Lana Del Rey • Kendrick Lamar • Future | |
| Starboy: Legend of the Fall Tour | |