The Weeknd ventures into the Cantopop world of the 1980s and 1990s with “Hong Kong,” his first single of the year. The track samples “Seasonal Wind,” a song by Faye Wong released in 1993, drawing on both its melody and fragments of the singer’s original vocal performance.
Abel Tesfaye weaves the tune into his own nocturnal, dramatic R&B universe, creating a dialogue between two eras of pop. The choice of Faye Wong is not accidental: beyond being one of Cantopop’s leading figures, the artist starred in “Chungking Express” (1994), by Wong Kar-wai, a film closely associated with the cultural imagination of Hong Kong.
The result is pretty and carries an undeniable nostalgic charm, much like many of The Weeknd’s recent ballads, though it also leaves a sense of missed opportunity, as leaning so heavily on a pre-existing song means “Hong Kong” has less of its own personality than one might expect from such a pairing.
The music video, starring model Ming Xi, alternates scenes of luxury cars and urban lights with footage of The Weeknd singing karaoke and lamenting in the night.
