D’Angelo

Like D’Angelo, the Weeknd paints sonic landscapes with his songs. Sustained groove, intricate arrangements and intelligent beauty are in all their songs.

Plus, the mythology of the reclusive D'Angelo is maybe one that sustained the Weeknd being incognito for so long — fans waited 14 years before Black Messiah was released after Voodoo.

Maxwell

The manly, heartbreaking falsetto — R&B vet Maxwell made that the ultimate sex soundtrack, and it’s one that the Weeknd channels not just in style, but in swagger as well. When his debut Urban Hang Out Suite came out in 1996, it was the antithesis of everything released around it at the time. It was mellow, groove-based and chill, with elements of funk, jazz, and smooth soul. You could say that the Weeknd’s Trilogy was the same kind of genre-changing album when it dropped in 2011.