The Weeknd, Playboi Carti, Madonna: Popular (Single Review)

The Weeknd once again rebrands his sound with this Hollywood-style, starry-eyed single featuring cult favorite Playboi Carti, and the iconic Madonna.

Ever since After Hours and even before that, The Weeknd has been on a roll of non-stop hits, hitting a second prime as he fully nestles himself into superstardom. His last album, Dawn FM, oriented itself around a more 80s electric synth-themed sound in a similar vein to his hit single Blinding Lights.

This new song, however, Popular, is glitzy, slick, and as vain as a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (in a cool way, of course). Despite his, more often than not, experimental nature, The Weeknd takes on a more traditional R&B approach on this one; however, it’s anything but bland. Abel fully morphs into his global popstar persona on the track with a sense of confidence and coolness that can’t be replicated.

Playboi Carti’s feature adds a nicely executed bridge between the chorus and the verses, but it would’ve been nice to hear more of a verse from him since he only pops out once in a blue moon (staying true to his vampire aesthetic, of course).

Madonna, dare I say it, surprised me the most on this record. Despite being from a completely different era and arguably a different genre, her and The Weeknd’s voices gel together really well, and it would be interesting to hear more collaborations between the two if The Weeknd is planning to make an album out of this superstar aesthetic.

Score/Excellent: The Weeknd and his ensemble impress on this new, summery LA anthem. To fully immerse yourself in this one, put on your Louis Vuitton shades in Erewhon Market and do your weekly shop all while sipping a vegan iced latte.

Written by Jake Campbell