The Weeknd Premieres Trippy Video For 'The Knowing'
Abel Tesfaye, better known as mysterious singer The Weeknd, has left an indelible mark on the R&B landscape after releasing two well-received internet albums this year (House of Balloons and Thursday). He got a glowing endorsement from fellow Canadian, Drake, back in March then the 21-year-old continued to release his own music, and even popped up for a feature on Drake’s Take Care album. This week, he dropped a video to accompany “The Knowing,” the final track from his first mixtape House Of Balloons.
Showing off his Ethiopian roots, he opens the video up with arresting images of the country’s former emperor Haile Selassie I and the end of his 43-year reign, at the hands of a military coup in 1974. More images flash across the screen, including an apparent reincarnation of the fallen emperor. The video trails off into a dizzying, futuristic journey, which hurtles the viewer into the fictional planet Ethia X in the year of 16311 A.D.
The intense video, created by filmmaker Mikael Colombu (who has worked on clips for Bilal and Cee-Lo Green), is as genre-bending as The Weeknd’s haunting track in the background. The sci-fi angle should appeal to fans who have yet to connect a face to the reclusive artist, as he appears frequently throughout the video.
The Weeknd is reportedly signed to a deal under Drake’s OVO imprint, and he intends to complete his trilogy of releases with the upcoming mixtape Echoes Of Silence dropping before year’s end. Thursday was his second release after House of Balloons.
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