the weeknd
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the weekndTRANSCRIPT
The Weeknd
Who is the Weeknd?
The Weeknd is a recording artist and record producer born in Toronto, Canada
His real name is Abel Tesfaye born February 16th, 1990
Before gaining fame and recognition, he released 3 mix-tapes throughout 2011 and would upload songs to YouTube
By word of mouth and the songs posted on YouTube, Tesfaye gained recognition
Weeknd and XO
The name Weeknd came about because Tesfaye dropped out of high school at 17 and “left one weekend and never came home”
He changed it to the Weeknd to avoid copyright infringement from another Canadian band called The Weekend
XO is the name of his record company and has become his personal brand creating an image and merchandize platform
Career
One of the songs he posted to YouTube, The Morning was the catalyst to his success
Rapper and now friend Drake, posted the song to his blog, and then got the attention receiving coverage from outlets such as Pitchfork Media and The New York Times
He has played shows at Drakes OVO fest, and Coachella festival
He won the MTV O music award for best “web born artist” Before signing a record deal, the Weeknd showcased his
talents using mixtapes
Social Media Presence
The Weeknd has a website with strong visuals, unique presentation, and is intriguing for the audience
Aspects to the website include his new cd, mixtapes, videos, tour, merchandize, various fan interactive material and links to various social media outlets
Links on the website include:
Various Social media
Facebook Instagram Twitter Soundcloud
The Weeknd is heavily engaged with his fans
Link to website
http://www.theweeknd.com/
Facebook Engagement
Many of the posts on Facebook involve songs and links to videos
New merchandize and pictures are posted and these posts happen frequently
1,585,180 likes have occurred on the page
136,170 are currently talking about him
Twitter Engagement
The Weeknd had a unique twitter account
Instead of posting information regarding his music, he posts personal ideas and statements
This shows his emotions and what he is feeling at any given point
Fans get a sense of his personality and can be relatable to their lives in some way
At the beginning of February tweets have been majority about merchandize and other promotional items and this has come due to increased popularity
He has 1.28million followers
Instagram Engagement
Instagram photos and videos are used to showcase his shows and people he is interacting with
A lot of pictures showcase the XO brand and some catalogue type pictures to boost merchandizing
For the most his photos consists of art and unique photos done by a professional
He has 659,447 followers
SoundCloud
Has all of his songs for his fans to listen to
Most recent post was a new remix from 4 days ago,
He has 2,080,948
Online Communities
Fans post unofficial Instagram, twitter, and Facebook accounts, posting various pictures and information regarding the artist
when searching Instagram, I could not find the official except from the link provided on his website
Discussion develops around these accounts and many have a lot of followers creating for more interaction amongst fans
Weeknd’s Audience
His music is very spiritual, deep with emotion and filled with slow beats
Lyrics often express feelings of hurt and deal with subject matter such as sex, drugs, and partying.
His audience is young (keep in mind Weeknd is only 24.
Younger audiences are more inclined to this type of music as it relates to many of their lives with experiential experiences
Audience and Social Media
Twitter- prime example for connecting with his audience
Posting deep quotes and thoughts reflects his emotion filled music
Instagram- Frequent posts about partying also connects with his fan base and relates to his lyrics
Audience and Change
Various outlets change in popularity very quickly especially amongst youth
Weeknd has consistently adapted and continues to maintain old streams to keep everyone informed and associated with XO brand and his music
Creating apparel and merchandize outlets will help develop the brand as fans begin wearing it and spreading more awareness
Continuity
Weeknd must continue to play shows, tour, make new albums, and collaborate with other artists to grow and maintain a social media platform that engages his audience
Youth have many outlets and many other artists to focus on
He must develop the XO brand and continue to engage the audience through social media outlets, and continue to adapt to change