Last year, Toronto R&B singer Abel Tesfaye (best known as The Weeknd) reached new heights of fame with his chart-topping album Starboy. Released in November, the 18-track LP thoroughly toppled the single-day Spotify streaming record, propelling the once homeless artist to global icon status.
This past week, The Weeknd dropped a retro style visual for the hit song “I Feel It Coming,” a feel-good pop number featuring production from the robotic French electronic duo Daft Punk. Directed by Warren Fu, the Michael Jackson-esque music video features the Canadian crooner on a distant planet, using his suave dance moves and spine-tingling voice to seduce his supernatural love interest.
Spliced with shots of the surrounding galaxy, the video features majestic color gradients in an otherworldly sky. The grainy film style provides an ’80s era feel to the visual, producing a galactic love story that suddenly goes awry. As the night falls over the mysterious planet, a ground-shattering thunderstorm encompasses The Weeknd and his alien lover, turning them both into stone.
The catchy track ends as ashy snow smothers their stoned figures, leaving only a glowing pink light buried beneath the surface. Once the song subsides, Daft Punk makes a surprise cameo in their famed robotic outfits, exploring the lifeless terrain while an ominous hum rumbles in the background. The electronic duo contributed their unique talents to two Starboy tunes, and also appeared in the violent visual for the album’s title track.
Drawing inspiration from ’80s R&B and electro pop, “I Feel It Coming” is one of the most dreamlike offerings from The Weeknd’s third studio album. Equipped with luscious synths and autotune backing vocals from Daft Punk, the song itself matches the vibe of the retro video. All in all, his most recent success has caused the Starboy to ascend far beyond the earthly pop world, placing him on his very own musical astral plane.
