Starboy

"Starboy" is a song by Canadian singer the Weeknd featuring French electronic duo Daft Punk. It was released on September 21, 2016, through XO and Republic Records, as the lead single from his third studio album of the same name (2016). The artists wrote and produced the song with Doc McKinney and Henry "Cirkut" Walter, with Jason "DaHeala" Quenneville receiving additional credits. It is an R&B and electropop song that reflects themes of extravagance and celebrity life. "Starboy" topped the charts in countries such as Canada, France, Netherlands, New Zealand and Sweden, as well as the US Billboard Hot 100, where it became the Weeknd's third chart-topper, and Daft Punk's only chart-topper. The music video for the song was directed by frequent collaborator Grant Singer, who directed the Weeknd's previous music videos for his previous chart-toppers "Can't Feel My Face" and "The Hills". In the music video, the Weeknd is shown trying to destroy evidence of his previous self, including his own awards from his past album, Beauty Behind the Madness. The video has been described as the Weeknd's attempt to murder his former personality. On November 11, 2016, a remix produced by Kygo was released, which was later included on the deluxe version of the album, released in March 2023. Background and lyrics On August 24, 2016, during a Billboard interview, Republic Records executive vice president Wendy Goldstein mentioned that the Weeknd had been collaborating with Daft Punk. The Weeknd later elaborated that he contacted the duo through mutual friends in the Canadian music scene, and that he was invited to a studio in Paris, France to work with Daft Punk. During his session recording the song "I Feel It Coming", the Weeknd could hear a separate track leaking into the studio booth from the control room. He discovered that the track was a beat that Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo had been playing from a personal device. Inspired by the sound, the Weeknd immediately wrote material for it, forming the basis of "Starboy". Producers Cirkut and Doc McKinney then continued work on the track.