By Sarika Kumar

The Weeknd is a famous Canadian singer and songwriter that has gained popularity since 2015. With the release of Dawn FM, his new album which came out on Jan. 7, there was an uproar of fan’s reactions.

Highschool Juniors, Anmol Desai, Burhan Buttar, and Manali Lokare are all fans of The Weeknd and have listened to many of his previous albums.

Desai stated “ I was one of those kids who listened to the radio, and The Weeknd always came on.” People have been listening to songs on the radio for years, so as new albums continue to be released, the perspective on each previous album changes.

When discussing certain attributions that albums like these have, a commonality within responses was describing the flow of the songs and how the transfer from one song to another through the album was one of the strongest aspects of Dawn FM. 

“I love the transition from song to song and just the general rhythm of songs,” stated Anmol Desai when asked what his favorite parts of the album were. 

Agreeing Burhan Buttar said, “The Weeknd’s ability to connect the beats between the songs is unmatchable.” 

Taking it back to when the album was first heard, when considering the placement of this album on the scale of The Weeknd’s previous albums, the teens had differing answers. 

“It’s a little complicated for me to decide how I would place Dawn FM in comparison to his other albums,” stated Desai.

 Buttar stated, “This album had songs the fans were used to, and some that were pretty unexpected.”

Through these responses, unanimous results were displayed. The Weeknd certainly had his flaws but seemingly, his listeners seem to be able to override that thought. 

The Weeknd also incorporated a new unexpected technical aspect to this album, which was incorporating more speaking and natural talking words mixed within the lyrics of the song. These lyrics are more verbal rather than musical. 

Songs where this technique is embedded are sporadically placed throughout the album. Songs such as “Every Angel is Terrifying” and “A tale by Quincy” are more, “laid back and mellow compared the other other songs in the album,” explained Lokare. 

Desai also briefly stated that these types of songs might be her “least favorite” in the album. 

Pop culture these days is constantly changing. With new albums, songs and movies being released daily, teens have ever changing interests. When thinking about how The Weeknd’s album fits into pop culture today, Desai states, “ it fits well into pop culture today, but I wouldn’t say all of the general public likes all of his songs.” 

Additionally Lokare says, “The trends are always changing and The Weeknd’s new album is an example.”

The album has its perks and downfalls. As fans and listeners play the album on repeat, they patiently await his new release.