House of Balloons

At the age of seventeen, Abel Makkonen Tesfaye dropped out of school, left his home, and relocated to an apartment in Toronto, Ontario, with two friends. Because these events occurred over a weekend, Tesfaye adopted the stage name "the Weeknd", omitting the third "e" to avoid trademark issues with Canadian band The Weekend. Before using this stage name, Tesfaye released music through YouTube in 2009 using the moniker "Kin Kane" as part of a hip-hop duo called "Bulleez n Nerdz". Their sessions led to the conception of the first part of "The Party & the After Party", "What You Need", "Loft Music", and an early version of "The Morning". In December, the Weeknd met Canadian producer Illangelo during one of the latter's daily studio sessions. Their first studio session together led to the creation of an early version of "Glass Table Girls" and songs that appear on the Weeknd's second mixtape, Thursday (2011). The Weeknd met producer Cirkut through a mutual friend, and they created "High for This" in one day. "Wicked Games" was written by the Weeknd and Rainer Millar-Blanchaer, who he met through mutual friends, and they wrote the track in Millar-Blanchaer's home studio. . In January 2011, Cirkut introduced the Weeknd to Doc McKinney, who played the Weeknd instrumentals, including the one for "House of Balloons", that were made in 2009. McKinney, the Weeknd, and later Illangelo began further work on the mixtape in January. According to the Weeknd in a 2016 interview, he frequently used drugs to support himself when he made his earlier projects. Songs from House of Balloons would be lengthy due to the Weeknd speaking his thoughts during recording sessions. The Weeknd found inspiration from 1980s music while creating House of Balloons. He said Deftones heavily inspired the mixtape, alongside his other mixtapes released in 2011, Thursday and Echoes of Silence. In a 2013 interview with Complex, the Weeknd said House of Balloons was not mixed or mastered, attributing the decision to him viewing it as a mixtape rather than an album. He also said 14 tracks were planned for the mixtape before he lent some tracks to the Canadian rapper Drake for Drake's album Take Care (2011). == Composition ==

Music and lyrics House of Balloons is categorized as an alternative R&B record that incorporates elements of other genres, such as dream pop, electro, rock, hip-hop, trip hop, lo-fi, pop, and gothic rock. The Weeknd's mixing of genres with samples reflects a movement of black pop/R&B artists interacting with music from white, indie, pop, and rock artists. detailing late-night sexual and drug escapades, the aftermath of partying, and hedonistic fantasies. Tracks House of Balloons opens with an "eerie, ominous" ringing sound in "High for This", a dark wave and bedroom R&B song that begins with soft, whispered vocals and an echoing instrumental and later takes a darker tone, adding a commanding bass synth and a more-aggressive beat. The song details the Weeknd's attempts to coach his partner through a sex act. "What You Need" is an R&B track featuring a minimalistic beat, a basic, minor-synth chord progression, vocals Pitchforks Larry Fitzmaurice described as "butter-dripping", and a sample of Aaliyah's 2001 single "Rock the Boat". Throughout the track, the Weeknd challenges a partner's current relationship with suggestive language, repeatedly telling her: "He's what you want / I'm what you need". The mixtape's third track, "House of Balloons / Glass Table Girls", includes two separate songs combined into a single track. Its first part, "House of Balloons", is an R&B song that is structured around a sample of Siouxsie and the Banshees' 1980 single "Happy House". With a rattling bass line, sharp synths, and falsetto vocals, the Weeknd attempts to convince someone his party is stable, dubbing it a "happy house". Three and a half minutes in, the track transitions into its second part, "Glass Table Girls", which has been described as thematically darker than the first part. "Glass Table Girls" features a numbed rap with a low-end churn, a pulsating synth, and brute percussion that describes a negative side to partying, describing sex and the use of drugs. On "Loft Music", the Weeknd again samples Beach House, using their 2008 track "Gila". In "Loft Music"'s chorusless first half, the Weeknd mixes rapping and singing, while reassuring a woman who is undecided about hooking up with him. The second half, beginning two minutes and thirty-three minutes into the song, contrasts with the first half, containing what Billboards Bianca Gracie describes as ethereal production, as the Weeknd wails throughout the track. == Promotion ==

Title and artwork The title House of Balloons originates from a house, located at 65 Spencer Avenue, Parkdale, Toronto, in which the Weeknd and his friends used to live. He said he and his friends would throw parties and added balloons for a more celebratory feel. The cover art depicts a woman with her face obscured by balloons and her left breast exposed. Release and marketing The release of House of Balloons was preceded by three promotional singles; "What You Need", "The Morning", and "Loft Music", all of which were released in December 2010. The songs gained traction online and two of them were eventually shared by Oliver El-Khatib, manager of Drake, through a post on Drake's blog on December 12. On March 7, 2011, Drake posted "Wicked Games" to his website, garnering more attention for the Weeknd. House of Balloons was released free of charge via a zip folder on March 21, 2011. After multiple unofficial music videos, the Weeknd released his first official music video on November 24 for "The Knowing" that was directed by Mikael Colombu. Throughout 2011, the Weeknd performed in venues and music festivals, including Mod Club Theatre, Drake's OVO Fest, Guelph Concert Theater, and London Music Hall. After announcing a deal with Republic Records, a mastered-and-mixed version of "Wicked Games" was released on September 14, 2012. The song was serviced to rhythmic contemporary radio on September 25, 2012. It was the Weeknd's debut single and charted on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 53. The Weeknd worked to clear all of the samples on House of Balloons so it could be re-released through Republic as part of Trilogy (2012), a compilation album composed of mixed-and-mastered versions of three mixtapes he released in 2011. The use of Aaliyah's "Rock the Boat" on "What You Need" and the Fate/stay night vocal sample on "Coming Down" were excluded from Trilogy. The mastered-and-mixed version of House of Balloons, including "Twenty Eight", was released as an LP record on August 14, 2015. == Critical reception ==

House of Balloons was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, House of Balloons received an average score of 87, based on 16 reviews. while AnyDecentMusic? determined it is the 10th-best-reviewed project of the year. Reviewers such as Joe Colly of Pitchfork, Colly, Kellman, and The A.V. Clubs Evan Rytlewski gave their attention to the production of the project's songs; Colly called it "incredibly lush, downcast". Critics gave praise to the Weeknd's vocals; these include reviews from Carrie Battan of The Boston Phoenix, and Kevin Ritchie of Now, who stated the Weeknd's vocal delivery creates a "tension reminiscent of Aaliyah's clear-headed emotional states". Accolades and rankings On July 6, 2011, House of Balloons became a 2011 Polaris Music Prize shortlist nominee. The mixtape appeared in 26 publications' lists of the best projects of 2011. Those that listed House of Balloons include Complex (1st), Fact (1st), Stereogum (5th), The A.V. Club (6th), Billboard (7th), Pitchfork (10th), and Spin (13th). The mixtape ranked 13th on The Village Voice Pazz & Jop mass critics' poll. Two publications ranked House of Balloons on their lists of the best projects of the 21st century; Complex ranked it at number 10 and Rolling Stone at number 99. It also appeared on some lists of the best albums of the 2010s; it was ranked by Slant Magazine at 84, Pitchfork at 75, Vice at 40, and Billboard at 20. Additionally, Jem Aswad of Variety and Josiah Gogarty of GQ mentioned the mixtape on their own personal lists. == Commercial performance ==

House of Balloons did not appear on the Billboard 200 until more than ten years after its release, debuting at 113 on the chart dated February 26, 2022. The mixtape sold 10,000 album-equivalent units and its entry on the chart was caused by a vinyl reissue. The same week, it charted at number four on the Vinyl Albums chart and at number ten on the Top Album Sales chart. On the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, House of Balloons peaked at number 37 on the chart dated September 19, 2015. Internationally, House of Balloons peaked at number one in Greece, number 12 on the United Kingdom's R&B Albums Chart, number 40 in Belgium's Wallonia chart, number 80 in Lithuania, and number 120 in Portugal. The project was certified platinum in Canada, and gold in Australia and the UK. == Legacy ==

Use of anonymity When the Weeknd released House of Balloons, he remained anonymous, creating speculation on his identity; some commentators believed he was a group rather than a solo artist. With this mystique, combined with his rare public appearances, audiences had only a mysterious persona to latch onto, making his music their main focus and fueling his popularity growth. Speaking on his anonymity, the Weeknd said he believed his physical appearance made him unmarketable for the R&B genre, preferring to be judged for his music. Billboard attributed his approach to anonymity, described as using striking art direction with a mysterious identity, with inspiring artists such as PartyNextDoor, H.E.R., and Dvsn to do the same. Uproxxs Bianca Gracie said the Weeknd's mystique inspired a generation of people to conceal their faces on social media posts, wanting to not be seen. Musical influence Publications have stated House of Balloons changed the R&B genre. Prior to the mixtape's release, R&B music in the late 2000s decade consisted mainly of upbeat, synth-infused tracks that borrowed elements from snap music. House of Balloons contrasted with much of the genre's status quo, using dark production, lyricism, and vocals rather than a glossy, respectable sound. Turning R&B into a dark, guilty pleasure attracted a new community of fans towards the Weeknd, while other artists now had opportunities to break rules. Uproxx stated critics who earlier negatively viewed R&B were now praising the genre after the mixtape's release. == Track listing ==

Samples • "What You Need" contains a sample of "Rock the Boat" performed by Aaliyah not present on the Trilogy release. • "House of Balloons / Glass Table Girls" contains a sample of "Happy House" performed by Siouxsie and the Banshees. • "The Party & the After Party" contains a sample of "Master of None" performed by Beach House. • "Coming Down" contains a voice sample from the anime Fate/stay night not present on the Trilogy release. • "Loft Music" contains a sample of "Gila" performed by Beach House. • "The Knowing" contains a sample of "Cherry-Coloured Funk" performed by Cocteau Twins. == Personnel ==

• Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd) – lead vocals, songwriting/composition, additional production (all tracks) • Carlo Montagnese (Illangelo) – mixing (all tracks), production (tracks 3–5, 7, 9 & 10), songwriting/composition (tracks 3–5, 7, 9 & 10), recording engineer (tracks 3–10), • Martin McKinney (Doc McKinney) – production (tracks 3–5, 7, 9 & 10), songwriting/composition (tracks 3–5, 7 9 & 10) recording engineer (tracks 3–10) • Henry Walter (Cirkut) − production, songwriting, recording engineer (track 1) • Jeremy Rose − production (tracks 2, 6 & 8), songwriting (tracks 2, 4, 6 & 8), recording engineer (track 2) • Matthew Acton − assistant recording engineer (tracks 3, 4, 6–9) • William Brock − guitar (track 4) • Rainer Millar Blanchaer − songwriting (tracks 5 & 6), production (track 6) • Adrian "Adrian X" Eccleston – guitar (track 9) • Shin Kamiyama – assistant recording engineer (track 10) == Charts ==

Weekly charts Year-end charts == Certifications ==