The Weeknd has got to be one of the most creative people in music right now. Whether it’s with his fresh brand of pop, collaborations with other artists, or movie-style music videos, he’s certainly breaking the mold of the standard expectations of a pop star. This week, the “Starboy” singer is doing something new once again with his short film M A N I A, which debuts today.
While short films have been explored by the likes of Frank Ocean, Beyonce, and Tove Lo this year, what goes on here might just surpass it all. The Weeknd’s effort at his new visual proves that this sort of thing doesn’t need to be very long in length to get the point across. Clocking at barely 12 minutes, snippets from his new Starboy record push the story along. Throughout, you’ll get to hear some sneak peeks at tracks like “Sidekicks” featuring Kendrick Lamar and “All I Know” featuring Future.
Without giving too much of the plot away, let’s just say if you saw his recent “False Alarm” music video, this definitely matches the dark and gritty tone of it. The end credits say that The Weeknd wrote the story, so it might just be a first look at the potential quality we might see from his videos in the future.
For more on Starboy, be sure to stay tuned for our full review of the album, which will be published on Friday.