The Weeknd

The Weeknd’s Albums, Ranked

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The Weeknd is one of music’s biggest names. His catalog is fairly extensive and includes a combination of studio albums and mixtapes. One way The Weeknd differs from other popular artists of the recent age is that most people see his mixtapes as regular albums. This speaks to the quality and diversity of the Canadian singer’s music. Some of his mixtapes even rank above the studio albums in the eyes and ears of many fans. 

The Weeknd released his first studio album in 2013 with Kiss Land. This album followed three mixtapes, released from 2011 until 2012. Despite the earlier work, most of the world first gravitated to The Weeknd in 2015 when he signed with Republic Records. This year brought his album, Beauty Behind The Madness, which included the smash single Can’t Feel My Face. Currently, The Weeknd has five studio albums, multiple EPs and mixtapes, and soundtrack appearances. The latest is that his remix to Die For You with Ariana Grande debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March of this year. 

Ranking The Weeknd’s albums can be difficult as the singer has an incredible music catalog. However, based on fan reactions and overall sales, these are the weekend’s best albums, and mixtapes ranked from worst to best. Here are The Weeknd’s best albums, ranked.

‘House Of Balloons’ From 2011

Though not one of his studio albums, many consider the 2011 mixtape House of Balloons the Weeknd’s best work. This collection of songs debuted before the Weeknd was who he is now. At the time, no one really knew the singer. In addition, this was a time when R&B was rediscovering its identity and needed something new. House of Balloons has been called an intense album. It details a drug-fueled bender between two lovers in a way many music fans had never heard before. The Weeknd’s House of Balloons is a must-listen for people who like experimental R&B. On the list of The Weeknd’s albums, ranked, this one is the best.

‘Thursday’ From 2011

Thursday came mere months from the release of House of Balloons. The album is often seen as a continuation. On it, he sings about pain and not wanting to succumb to the forces around him. The album involves themes of addiction, toxic love, and simply wanting to survive it all. Again, this was before people really knew The Weeknd, which means he had more room to be vulnerable. 

‘After Hours’ From 2020

Critics believe After Hours to be The Weeknd’s first major studio album to fully capture the singer’s best. According to many, there are no skips on the album. In addition, it’s the perfect blend of his mixtape days and his more mainstream sound. Famously, the album had no featured artists and included the number 1 hit single, Heartless. Of course, After Hours also has Blinding Lights, which was inescapable. The song still holds up in the years since its release. The Weeknd’s After Hours is easily one of his best albums. This one could easily be ranked higher, but his overall catalog is impeccable.

‘Beauty Behind The Madness’ From 2015

For some, Beauty Behind The Madness was their introduction to The Weeknd. He had gained a following up until now, but this album catapulted him into superstardom. The Weeknd started the album rollout with the song Often as the lead single. After this came hits like The Hills and Can’t Feel My Face. It was the ladder that had worldwide appeal and really took off. This wasn’t only a hit for the day. Instead, it’s still a song that people go back to. Despite the subject matter of Can’t Feel My Face, the song even won a Kid’s Choice Award.

‘Dawn FM’ From 2022

It’s rare for artists to release multiple albums in a year. However, The Weeknd started working on Dawn FM in the early days of the pandemic. He wanted to provide the world with music that reminded people of going outside. In many ways, the album was intended to be an escape from the harsh realities of being in quarantine. However, it’s also a concept album that tells a deep story about going to the afterlife. Though not his best, Dawn FM is a solid body of work that came during depressing times.

‘Starboy’ From 2016

Starboy has a lot of fans, but it’s also not a favorite album by most of his R&B lovers. With this body of work, he continued to show that he’s an artist who likes to cast a broad net. It’s mostly pop. Some would probably say it’s his poppiest album. Not only that, it’s the one from The Weeknd’s catalog that has the most comparison to The King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson. Starboy may not have produced the biggest hits from his career, but it’s still an album every fan of The Weeknd should listen to. This is especially true of people who want to gain insight into the mysterious singer through his lyrics.

‘My Dear Melancholy’ From 2018

My Dear Melancholy is the 2018 EP from The Weeknd. While a solid body of work, many see it as more of a shortened rehash of his first mixtape. Because of this, many have disregarded it since they could simply listen to the original tape. It has fan-favorite songs such as Wasted Times and Hurt You, but it’s really not one of his more popular works, nor is it his best. Of course, most forgive this because he produced some of his best work after. Still, it’s an album that could shift places in a ranking of The Weeknd’s albums.

‘Echoes of Silence’ From 2011

Echoes of Silence is the last of The Weeknd’s pre-fame mixtapes. It continues his legacy of being music’s experimental sad boy. In addition, he makes references to Michael Jackson that really show his versatility as an artist. Though lower on the list than most of his studio albums, this mixtape is essential listening for the Weeknd fans and casual listeners alike. Standout tracks on Echoes of Silence include XO and Montreal.

‘Kiss Land’ From 2013

The Weeknd’s first studio album was Kiss Land. He described the album as similar to his trilogy of mixtapes but set in different places. On the trilogy, he was mostly confined to one room regarding the themes of the songs. However, despite still being a contemplative album, this one is a bit more friendly to general listeners. On the ranking of The Weeknd’s best albums, Kiss Land comes in last. All of The Weeknd’s albums and mixtapes are well-received, but an artist’s debut studio album is always special.

Ariana Grande Heard The ‘Not A Singer Anymore’ Slander And Returned To No. 1 On The Hot 100 With The Weeknd

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Ariana Grande just pulled off the ultimate flex. She’s deep in her Wicked era, transforming into Glinda for Jon M. Chu’s forthcoming two-part film adaptation. Arianators are needlessly worrying that one of the biggest pop stars on the planet will suddenly stop being one of the biggest pop stars on the planet.

Grande directly responded to her fans in January, but the notion that she’s “not a singer anymore” was emphatically put to bed today, March 6. Worry not: Whenever Ariana Grande decides to sing, she reigns supreme. Her power is evident on the new Billboard Hot 100 chart dated March 11, where Grande and The Weeknd’s “Die For You (Remix)” sits at No. 1.

“Wrote and recorded a verse for my friend after a 14 hour day on set,” Grande wrote in a TikTok video showing her in the studio, posted on February 21 ahead of the song’s February 24 release. “This certain exception had to be made …..”

@arianagrande

⭐🌙

♬ original sound – arianagrande

Per Billboard, “Die For You (Remix)” is the seventh No. 1 on the Hot 100 for Grande and The Weeknd, respectively, and it marks their second No. 1 together. “Save Your Tears” peaked at No. 1 in May 2021. It couldn’t come at a better time for The Weeknd, who needs some good news to balance out all of the reported drama and dysfunction around his HBO series, The Idol.

The top 10 of the Hot 100 chart dated March 11 is rounded out by Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” at No. 2, SZA’s “Kill Bill” at No. 3, PinkPantheress and Ice Spice’s “Boy’s A Liar, Pt. 2” at No. 4, Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” at No. 5, Metro Boomin, The Weeknd, and 21 Savage’s “Creepin’” at No. 6, Karol G and Shakira’s “TQG” at No. 7, Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” at No. 8, Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” at No. 9, and Beyoncé’s “Cuff It” at No. 10.

Before today, Cyrus enjoyed six consecutive No. 1 weeks with “Flowers,” the lead single from her Endless Summer Vacation album due this Friday, March 10.

Rolling Stone Writer Accused Of Racism After Replying To The Weeknd’s Criticism With Monkey Meme

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A writer for Rolling Stone faces heavy accusations of racism after he replied to The Weeknd’s shots at the publication with a picture of a monkey. Moreover, this all stemmed from a recently shared promo clip of HBO’s upcoming series The Idol, which Abel stars in. In the clip, his character disses Rolling Stone, calling them “irrelevant” when approached for a promo opportunity. Afterwards, the magazine shared a report in which they interviewed various cast members and came to critical and damning conclusions on the show’s production, script, and messaging. Then, the Canadian star tweeted the clip, asking the publication “Did we upset you?” and a writer responded with the seemingly bigoted meme.

While many might take this as overly reactionary, it’s important to consider the context of their feud and the imagery in the meme. In fact, it’s kind of a reflection of the hypocritical and indulgent brush that they painted the series with in their report. Still, many on social media found it quite funny, mostly in spite of the connotation and hopefully not because of it. Also, it just so happens to target one of the most successful artists of our time, and one who already pushes back against industry institutions.

Rolling Stone Writer Faces Accusations Of Racism For Response To The Weeknd

Moreover, the show’s behind the scenes testimonies took a backseat in the midst of this ordeal. However, HBO issued a statement on these allegations, including one that noted series director Amy Seimetz being booted halfway through. “The initial approach on the show and production of the early episodes, unfortunately, did not meet HBO standards so we chose to make a change.

“Throughout the process, the creative team has been committed to creating a safe, collaborative, and mutually respectful working environment, and last year, the team made creative changes they felt were in the best interest of both the production and the cast and crew. We look forward to sharing The Idol with audiences soon.” Still, audiences don’t have the show in their hands to compare, and maybe there’s some truth to what happened on set. But a possibly discriminatory response to a minority superstar rings louder right now than any speculation on a yet-to-premiere show. Regardless, stick around on HNHH for more updates on this story and The Weeknd.

The Weeknd Releases “After Hours (Live At SoFi Stadium)” Album

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At the end of February, HBO released The Weeknd: Live at SoFi Stadium. The special was a look inside of the sold-out concert that intimately showcased The Weeknd’s most adored hits over his career. Following the performance, the 33-year-old artist released After Hours (Live at SoFi Stadium), which marks his first live album effort. The project curates 31 tracks from his five studio albums, presenting them in the raw manner that only in-person performances can exude.

Hopping from Starboy to After Hours, and even to Dawn FM, Live at SoFi Stadium reveals just how many hits this acclaimed artist has brought to life over the years. Beauty Behind The Madness, which was the Canadian’s second studio project, recently just earned the remarkable achievement of being the first album in history with three diamond singles. With four Grammy awards to his name, and dozens of other recognitions (including six AMA wins), The Weeknd has boasted a celebratory career since he first started secretly releasing YouTube videos of his music.

The Weeknd’s “Live At SoFi Stadium” Walks Listeners Through His Career

Next on the list of his upcoming projects is his series creation debut with The Idol. The Idol, which stars Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd himself, was recently met with controversial opinions. However, this hasn’t stopped the award-winning artist from expanding into the screen world. The Weeknd is also credited as a writer in the upcoming Trey Edward Shults movie starring Jenny Ortega and Barry Keoghan.

Although Live at SoFi Stadium is a compilation of The Weeknd’s previous songs, he has hinted at more music coming in the future. When asked in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter earlier this year if he has been working on new tracks, he responded, “I’ve definitely been inspired. I’ve been in the studio.” For more news related to hip-hop and pop culture, don’t skip out on HNHH.

After Hours (Live At SoFi Stadium) Tracklist:

  1. Intro
  2. Alone Again
  3. Gasoline
  4. Sacrifice
  5. How Do I Make You Love Me?
  6. Can’t Feel My Face
  7. Take My Breath
  8. Hurricane
  9. The Hills
  10. Often
  11. Crew Love
  12. Starboy
  13. Heartless
  14. Low Life
  15. Or Nah
  16. Kiss Land
  17. Party Monster
  18. Faith
  19. After Hours
  20. Out of Time
  21. I Feel It Coming
  22. Die For You
  23. Is There Someone Else
  24. I Was Never There
  25. Wicked Games
  26. Call Out My Name
  27. The Morning
  28. Save Your Tears
  29. Less Than Zero
  30. Blinding Lights
  31. Outro

[Via]

HBO’s ‘The Idol’: Here’s A Timeline Of Everything That’s Happened So Far

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HBO’s The Idol first came about in July 2021, and a lot has happened since that first announcement. Anticipation was high since the beginning, considering The Weeknd was starring in it as well as serving as a co-writer and a co-executive produce the series alongside Reza Fahim and Sam Levinson.

Things started getting weird in April of last year, when HBO shared a statement about the show taking on “a new creative direction.”

“The Idol’s creative team continues to build, refine, and evolve their vision for the show and they have aligned on a new creative direction,” HBO said in a statement at the time. “The production will be adjusting its cast and crew accordingly to best serve this new approach to the series. We look forward to sharing more information soon.”

However, a trailer lifted the spirits of fans in July 2022, and so did a second, more convincing trailer in August. It revealed a star-studded cast: Moses Sumney, Jennie Ruby Jane of Blackpink, Troye Sivan, Ramsey, Mike Dean, Dan Levy, Hank Azaria, Suzanna Son, Jane Adams, Rachel Sennott, and more. Another trailer arrived in October, really capturing the intensity of the series.

Today, March 1, Rolling Stone published a massive report on the alleged “sh*tshow” of The Idol. Anonymous sources say that The Weeknd was unhappy with the focus on the “female perspective,” leading to the departure of director Amy Seimetz. Levinson’s role subsequently intensified. A source says the direction of the show has turned into “any rape fantasy that any toxic man would have in the show.”

Anonymous sources spoke about the disturbing nature of the new material. According to Rolling Stone:

“At various points, Levinson’s scripts contained disturbing sexual and physically violent scenes between [Lily-Rose] Depp and Tesfaye’s characters, three sources familiar with the matter claim. In one draft episode, there allegedly was a scene where Tesfaye bashes in Depp’s face, and her character smiles and asks to be beaten more, giving Tesfaye an erection. (This scene was never shot, the source says.) Another proposed scenario was for Depp to carry an egg in her vagina and if she dropped or cracked the egg, Tesfaye’s character would refuse to ‘rape’ her — which sent Depp’s character into a spiral, begging him to ‘rape’ her because she believed he was the key to her success. (This scene also was not filmed because production couldn’t find a way to realistically shoot the scene without having Depp physically insert the egg, another source explains.)”

The source added, “It was a show about a woman who was finding herself sexually, turned into a show about a man who gets to abuse this woman and she loves it.”

Apparently, The Weeknd’s busy music schedule didn’t help either. “It was really frustrating because they were working so hard to make it possible to shoot and be released with his concert or whatever his timeline was [and] it all got thrown out the window,” a source said.

Of course, The Weeknd merely responded with a snarky tweet, sharing clip from the show in which a character calls Rolling Stone “irrelevant.”

HBO’s ‘The Idol’: Everything To Know Including The Release Date, Cast, Plot, And More

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A lot has recently been revealed about the forthcoming HBO show The Idol, known for being spearheaded by Abel Tesfaye, aka The Weeknd. He co-created it alongside Euphoria director Sam Levinson and Reza Fahim, and there’s a lot to unpack about the controversial, long-awaited series. From intensely spicy trailers to a confusing timeline of its release, find information about The Idol below.

Release Date

There remains no release date. In Rolling Stone‘s new bombshell report about the show, it was reported, “One source with knowledge of the production schedule tells Rolling Stone the network initially hoped for The Idol to premiere last fall, taking over the Sunday time slot left open by House of the Dragon, which ended in October. Yet three teaser trailers have come and gone, and HBO can still only offer a vague ‘later this year.’ (A rep for the network declined to comment on when the show will air.)”

Cast

The Weeknd and Lily-Rose Depp are the leads. Other actors include Suzanna Son, Troye Sivan, Moses Sumney, Jane Adams, Dan Levy, Jennie Kim, Eli Roth, Rachel Sennott, Melanie Liburd, Tunde Adebimpe, Elizabeth Berkley Lauren, Nico Hiraga, and the late Anne Heche. There will also be a feature from Jennie of Blackpink.

Plot

The Idol, in six episodes, follows the story of “a self-help guru and leader of a modern-day cult, who develops a complicated relationship with an up-and-coming pop idol.” The trailer boasts it as “the sleaziest love story” from “the sick and twisted minds of the Creator of Euphoria Sam Levinson and Abel ‘The Weekend’ Tesfaye.”

Drama

In April of last year, they announced a “new creative direction,” which included the departure of director Amy Seimetz. Still, The Weeknd teased trailers during his After Hours Til Dawn Tour last summer.

An anonymous source told Rolling Stone that Tesfaye was not happy with the story’s “feminist lens.” “It was like The Weeknd wanted one show that was all about him — Sam was on board with that,” they told the publication. Another source said, “What I signed up for was a dark satire of fame and the fame model in the 21st century. It went from satire to the thing it was satirizing.”

“It was like, ‘What is this? What am I reading here,’” the source added. “It was like sexual torture porn.” Leaked scripts portrayed disturbing, violent scenes involving physical abuse and rape fantasies. “It was a show about a woman who was finding herself sexually, turned into a show about a man who gets to abuse this woman and she loves it,” the source said.