Back in March, The Weeknd set the world on fire with his fourth studio LP After Hours, which earned the biggest first-week sales of the year thanks to 444,000 album equivalent units sold. One of the many standouts from the project was the Illangelo, The Weeknd, and DaHeala-produced “Snowchild,” which sees the Canadian star reflecting on his career and rise to fame, as well as all of the vices and debauchery throughout:
“I used to pray when I was sixteen, if I didn’t make it, then I’d probably make my wrist bleed, not to mislead, turn my nightmares into big dreams, whole squad mobbin’ even though we only six deep/
I was singing notes while my n***as played with six keys, walking in the snow before I ever made my wrist freeze, I was blowing smoke, had me dizzy like Gillespie, n***as had no homes, we were living in the dead streets/
You couldn’t find me like I’m Hoffa, cover girls jumping out the page like they pop ups, spending all my money on these n***as that I brought up, taking care of families for my brothers when they locked up…/”
Directed by Arthell Isom, the accompanying, animated video shows the present day character that The Weeknd acted out in the After Hours storyline get dragged back to previous releases like House Of Balloons, Kiss Land, and Beauty Behind The Madness, giving the viewer a better look at his career path to the top. The clip closes with The Weeknd being brought back to the present, where he descends upon Las Vegas to continue his journey.
In a recent interview with Variety, The Weeknd spoke on his upbringing and first entry into music:
“It was tough growing up where I was from… I got into a lot of trouble, got kicked out of school, moved to different schools and finally dropped out. I really thought film was gonna be my way out, but I couldn’t really make a movie to feel better, you know? Music was very direct therapy; it was immediate and people liked it. It definitely saved my life.”
Press play on “Snowchild” below.