Rolling Stone

Toronto-based R&B singer Abel Tesfaye, a.k.a. the Weeknd, originally recorded this song for his second mixtape, Thursday, which was released in August 2011. Fourteen months later he created a visual for the track as a representation of how he feels and where he stands as an artist. He explained in an open letter: "Because I am a man of few words, I chose to make a viral video to show you how I felt and where I stand. I usually don't like to 'spoon feed' my audience because I grew up idolizing story tellers who tell stories using symbolism, so it was in my nature to do the same. The 'Rolling Stone' video takes place in a dimly lit studio, which represents the two worlds I have been stuck in. The gloomy side represents the mainstream world while the other side represents the underground. The girl holding on represents you."