Starboy
by The Weeknd
  • Record Label: Republic
  • Release Date: Nov 25, 2016
User Score
8.1

Universal acclaim- based on 748 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 614 out of 748
  2. Mixed: 91 out of 748
  3. Negative: 43 out of 748
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  1. All_ButTrU4
    Aug 25, 2022
    5
    His first step away from the familiar sleazy rnb of the Trilogy. It's a retro inspired 80's rnb pop ride that doesnt take itself too seriously. Well produced with appearances from Kendrick lamar, daft punk and lana dep rey it's still eclectic enough to be exciting.
  2. GamePlayer77
    May 25, 2021
    5
    Although Abel's 2016 album "Starboy" doesn't have that many new musical qualities, there are still some fine tracks that are enjoyable to listen to.

    FAV TRACK: Party Monster
    LEAST FAV TRACK: All I Know
  3. fifi3
    Jul 28, 2019
    5
    Starboy definitely had some very good tracks on it. It still featured some great vocals and a beautiful vibe at points, but it hits the mark far less consistently than his best, is watered down, and padded out to oblivion. It feels like a sell out after the artistic heights he has reached before.
  4. hornysoul
    Oct 3, 2018
    6
    Sinceramente, estava à espera de um retorno à era de "Trilogy" ou de "Kiss Land", mas, infelizmente, isso não aconteceu. Não obstante, "Starboy", que é claramente uma produção disco e electropop, funcionou razoavelmente bem e conseguiu agradar ao "mainstream".
  5. u137288reddit
    May 6, 2018
    4
    Why is there so much filler? Obviously, we know the answer; there's tons of filler because that's how you make money in the streaming environment (I don't really blame Abel, the chart system and stuff are all really messed up). But it does hurt the quality of the product. There are some quality tracks on here: Starboy, False Alarm, Party Monster, I Feel it Coming, Sidewalks. But the songsWhy is there so much filler? Obviously, we know the answer; there's tons of filler because that's how you make money in the streaming environment (I don't really blame Abel, the chart system and stuff are all really messed up). But it does hurt the quality of the product. There are some quality tracks on here: Starboy, False Alarm, Party Monster, I Feel it Coming, Sidewalks. But the songs that aren't high-quality are so forgettable that I can't recommend listening to it all the way through. You won't miss out on much if you just make an 8 song playlist of the best tracks and listen to that.… Expand
  6. kevinbird
    Oct 10, 2017
    6
    Creo que pudo ser mejor sin embargo Starboy es una fantastica expresion entre lo que se debe y no se debe ser. Los sonidos y las letras me hacen creer que puedo ser mejor, me hacen querer ser mejor pero a la larga se vuelve tedioso.
  7. FruitJuice
    Jul 17, 2017
    6
    it's okay............................................................................................................................................................
  8. BlownSpeakers
    Jun 21, 2017
    4
    I’ve been obsessed with music reviews ever since middle school. I remember searching Metacritic endlessly for scores on all my favorite albums and ones that I was planning to listen to. But then and even now, I still wonder how many times a reviewer actually listens to an album before rating it. Personally, I have a three-step process; but for the first time in a long time, I’veI’ve been obsessed with music reviews ever since middle school. I remember searching Metacritic endlessly for scores on all my favorite albums and ones that I was planning to listen to. But then and even now, I still wonder how many times a reviewer actually listens to an album before rating it. Personally, I have a three-step process; but for the first time in a long time, I’ve encountered an LP that I couldn’t take the distance. That album is The Weeknd’s Starboy.

    Phase 1 - Shower Listen: This listen always has me at my calmest, so naturally I was mostly receptive. I thought to myself, “There’s some bangers on here, a couple of duds, but still a good piece of Pop.”

    Phase 2 - Surfing the Web: Without the soothing, hot water distraction of Phase 1, my ears were left unprotected from this LP's superficial subject matter and cringe inducing transitions. Only 5 tracks into my second phase, I had to say **** it"- I put my laptop to the side and skipped to Phase 3, hoping to quickly end my suffering.

    Phase 3 - Hardcore Listen: I did abide by this phase’s rule of putting all distractions to the side, but reading along to the lyrics, as I usually do, was on a level of masochism I had yet to achieve. I came to the conclusion that it was in the album’s best interest if I didn’t know what Tesfaye was singing about 100% of the time.

    Like the geezer I am, my introduction to the alternative r&b artist was through the overwhelmingly popular, "The Hills Have Eyes." I actually enjoyed the track at the time, feeling it brought something new to the scene with its strangely creepy but sexy vibe. I thought to myself, "This song would be perfect to grind to at a Halloween Party." Sadly, I cannot provide you with any quirky commentary regarding Starboy- only pain. Starboy feels like the product of an artist that is bored with his sound, singing on these tracks with the intensity of a person reading from index cards. This complete lack of passion stands in stark contrast to the electro-pop numbers, "Rockin'" and "False Alarm," which erupt with an ass-shaking energy that is sorely missing from the rest of the album. But why flirt with these sounds when you could commit the whole album conceptually to it? Maybe, (A) He wants to stick with a winning formula, or (B) He's lazy.

    The topics Tesfaye covers on Starboy are staples of the rap and r&b genre- ripping on haters, flexing your fame, missing a girl, being wronged by a woman. There's nothing wrong with this being well worn territory, but the problem is that he does nothing to creatively convey his ideas on these topics. In fact, sometimes he doesn't offer any ideas at all. On "Attention," he sings about a girl that's acting up because she's looking for attention...and that's really it. We don't hear anything detailing their relationship, experiences they've shared, or even characteristics of this woman he's complaining about. It's just a song for song's sake. Kill. Me. Now.

    Oh, let's not forget the gutter trash transitions- It's as if they just made sure to put the big single, "Starboy," at the beginning of the album, "Stargirl Interlude" in the middle, and said **** it" from there. I'm sure there's a couple of decent tracks on here I missed, but it's impossible to remain receptive during a listen when the track listing is so haphazardly slapped together- YES, the songs' orientation to each other affects the album's pacing. And YES, this plays a crucial role in what the listener is experiencing. ****.

    You know what? In the spirit of the lack of craftsmanship of Starboy, I’m just going to end this review. Nope, nothing clever or thought provoking here. It’s just an ending to end things.    … Expand
  9. RafikiPablo
    Apr 17, 2017
    6
    The Weeknd - Starboy (2016)

    6.5 / 10

    Decent album, but some tracks are very repetitive. This album has some great songs, but listening to it as an album feels like you are listening to the same thing, and not a lot of ideas are expressed. It feels like The Weeknd has nothing left to say.
  10. MR_headphones
    Mar 21, 2017
    6
    it's................................................................................................................................................ok
  11. sratomasfer
    Feb 28, 2017
    6
    The Weeknd is back with another record now capitalizing on the electronic style used in the past records. the album has nice moments but 70% of the time, I find myself bored from the filler tracks this album is riddled with. Overall, when there's something interesting it demands attention but then you're also left listening to horrible excuses to increase album length.
  12. Wael
    Jan 7, 2017
    4
    While it triumphes in several places, Starboy ends up being overly-long with mainly A LOT of filler tracks. The lead single is a great ear-worm, the vicious 'Party Monster' hits in all the right places, other tracks like 'Six Feet Under' and 'Reminder' are typically Abel songs. On the other hand, tracks like 'Secrets', 'Feel it Coming', 'Die For You' and others completely lose The WeekndWhile it triumphes in several places, Starboy ends up being overly-long with mainly A LOT of filler tracks. The lead single is a great ear-worm, the vicious 'Party Monster' hits in all the right places, other tracks like 'Six Feet Under' and 'Reminder' are typically Abel songs. On the other hand, tracks like 'Secrets', 'Feel it Coming', 'Die For You' and others completely lose The Weeknd charm and feel too generic. This album is a sonic mess. Go back to your Trilogy days, XO.… Expand
  13. Jobin_Klavin
    Dec 3, 2016
    6
    One of the more popular names in music today, The Weeknd's "Starboy" is an album in which the highs are great, but the sheer length of the project hurts the rating. Too many filler tracks that should have been left off crowd the 18 track project, and if shortened to 10-12 tracks, may be a contender against his "Trilogy" mixtapes. Overall, a catchy, pop record great for driving and workingOne of the more popular names in music today, The Weeknd's "Starboy" is an album in which the highs are great, but the sheer length of the project hurts the rating. Too many filler tracks that should have been left off crowd the 18 track project, and if shortened to 10-12 tracks, may be a contender against his "Trilogy" mixtapes. Overall, a catchy, pop record great for driving and working out, making the album a moderate success for what Abel was going for on his third album.… Expand
  14. TheReviewer24
    Dec 1, 2016
    5
    overall this album was pretty meh. Half the songs are pretty good but the other half is straight garbage. Could've been something that we remembered for a while but we're gonna forget about this by february.
  15. lordemusic
    Dec 1, 2016
    4
    Despite some slick production, the album is startlingly hollow, uninteresting and disappointing. Especially when compared to the artist's earlier work, there is a distinct lack of originality, mood and intrigue. Everything that made him an interesting act is gone, replaced with hum-drum designed to cater to "market research"
  16. victorcarter
    Nov 29, 2016
    6
    A fun Daft Punk produced LP that shows Abel's affinity and knack for 80's electropop, disco, and 90's Eurodance. Fans of his early sex/drugs themed vampy ambient work (House of Balloons to Kiss Land), however may feel polarized and left out.
  17. kaizidokiller
    Nov 28, 2016
    6
    Disappointing album. When Starboy came out, I was really excited about the new album (because I was a huge fan of The Weeknd), but then I saw the album had 18 tracks and it instantly threw me off. It's not so much about the quantity but how familiar you are with The Weeknd. What are The Weeknd songs about? Sex, drugs, partying, fame, how tragic his life is. I don't think I could listen toDisappointing album. When Starboy came out, I was really excited about the new album (because I was a huge fan of The Weeknd), but then I saw the album had 18 tracks and it instantly threw me off. It's not so much about the quantity but how familiar you are with The Weeknd. What are The Weeknd songs about? Sex, drugs, partying, fame, how tragic his life is. I don't think I could listen to 18 songs about that, and I couldn't because a lot of the songs sounded the same and he still uses the same producers (with the exception of Daft Punk). The user ratings are over-inflated with undeserved 10s, even though Starboy is about as long and repetitive as Drake's Views and about as disappointing as Kiss Land.

    I don't expect the next Trilogy but I do want an album that's just as good, even BBTM grew on me. The Weeknd is so far ahead of his contemporaries that it's a bigger shame he waste his talent on doing nothing but brag. "I’m in the blue Mulsanne bumping New Edition", "I'm just too distracted with the life I'm tryna paint", "Homeless to Forbes List" (didn't he brag about that before?), and some corny verse about getting head.

    I enjoyed half the songs on the album but I haven't heard the entire album more than once. It's just too generic and the majority of the album is an inconsistent mix between uptempo house and melodic trap. All of the songs are meant to be played as singles so it doesn't feel like a complete album. The auto-tune and guest features added nothing to the album. Kendrick's verse is often hit-and-miss with pop songs. This is a mediocre album and mediocre is unacceptable when we have a lot of good R&B albums this year.    … Expand
  18. Flofloswaggaboi
    Nov 27, 2016
    6
    The singles were fantastic. The album on the other hand is very disappointing. Not bad, but disappointing nontheless. About one third of the songs is just nothing really special, these songs are just what you can expect from a pop album with a little bit of The Weeknd's original style mixed into them.
    Best songs: Starboy, I Feel It Coming, Sidewalks, Party Monster, False Alarm.
  19. HugoPavi
    Nov 25, 2016
    5
    The Weeknd goes FULL pop on Starboy, and the results are.... inconsistent. The first 9 or 10 tracks are admittedly pretty great (i.e. Party Monster, Secrets, True Colors, Stargirl Interlude, and Sidewalks) and I really thought I was going to love this album for a while. Unfortunately, I found the 2nd half to be a joyless slog, save for the last two tracks. Way too much filler on here andThe Weeknd goes FULL pop on Starboy, and the results are.... inconsistent. The first 9 or 10 tracks are admittedly pretty great (i.e. Party Monster, Secrets, True Colors, Stargirl Interlude, and Sidewalks) and I really thought I was going to love this album for a while. Unfortunately, I found the 2nd half to be a joyless slog, save for the last two tracks. Way too much filler on here and the songs in the back half are just boring, underwritten, and derivative, without anything that makes them stand-out at all. If you really like mainstream pop music, you'll probably love this whole thing. Personally though, I much prefer Abél's darker, moody, experimental stuff from his mixtape days, and I fear he'll never make anything that comes remotely close to being as great as that again, especially with the way his career appears to be headed right now.… Expand
  20. TripleDouble
    Nov 25, 2016
    4
    Whole album sounds pretty generic (most of the songs sound same). There is only like one or two bangers, and the rest of the album bored me to death. And I expected the same quality as from the last album.
  21. rastamouse123
    Nov 25, 2016
    6
    Overall, the album, to me was a bit of a disappointment. How you feel about it depends on whether you prefer his new poppy style or his dark melodic old style. I personally didn't mind the music in the album but to me the album seemed a little bit stale, with some bright spots in Party Monster, I Feel It Coming and Die For You. It is pretty much confirmed after this album that The WeekndOverall, the album, to me was a bit of a disappointment. How you feel about it depends on whether you prefer his new poppy style or his dark melodic old style. I personally didn't mind the music in the album but to me the album seemed a little bit stale, with some bright spots in Party Monster, I Feel It Coming and Die For You. It is pretty much confirmed after this album that The Weeknd will almost certainly not return to his old type of music.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

11
#11 Most Discussed Album of 2016
17
#17 Most Shared Album of 2016

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
67

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
  1. XXL
    Dec 19, 2016
    80
    The Weeknd is a self-described pop star, and proves his worth on Starboy, an album with plenty to love.
    Read full review
  2. Q Magazine
    Dec 13, 2016
    60
    Tesfaye can't decide if he's having the best time f his life or the worst. [Feb 2017, p.119]
  3. Clash Music
    Dec 5, 2016
    70
    It may showcase a cleaner sound, both in lyrical content and production, but its value for money at eighteen tracks comes at the cost of coherence.
    Read full review
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