For almost 15 years,The Weekndhas established himself as one of the biggest pop stars in the music industry. He’s had multiple number one hit records while also taking on acting roles, both in the controversialThe Idol —thatmade Weeknd want to sit down—and for his upcomingbig-screen adaptation of his latest albumHurry Up Tomorrow.
Hurry Up Tomorrowmarks The Weeknd’s sixth studio album and the 10th overall music project. As far back as a 2023 interview withW Magazine, the musician has expressed wanting to “kill The Weeknd” and keep making music “maybe as Abel.” As a result, this latest album has been speculated as an attempt to retire the former moniker. What that means for the future remains to be seen, but if this truly is the end of The Weeknd, then it’s worth pausing to reflect on the 14 years' worth of music that he’s produced as the iconic superstar.
10Kiss Land (2013)
Personal Touch Lost in a Polished Sound
While the first three mixtapes compiled inTrilogyare technically mixtapes,Kiss Landwas promoted as The Weeknd’s first official studio album. Depending on when audiences first started gravitating toward The Weeknd,Kiss Landis either a triumph or a disappointment. It very much embodies the spirit ofTrilogy, but witha more refined, polished sound.
The Weeknd’s first three projects —House of Balloons, Thursday,andEchoes of Silence— were later re-released in 2012 as one complete compilation album calledTrilogy.
For listeners who had never heard any of the projects fromTrilogybefore listening toKiss Land, it may sound like a triumphant victory from a winning sound. It’s a great introduction for new fans, but for older ones, it’s a rehash of a classic that provided high expectations. Again, it’s more polished, butthat unpolished sound from the original recordings ofTrilogy’smixtapes helped give each project a more personal, raw touch that’s missing here.
9My Dear Melancholy, (2018)
Can’t Live Up to Its Opening Track
As an EP that runs under 30 minutes, this isthe shortest project in The Weeknd’s discography, but it arguablyopens with the biggest bang. “Call Out My Name” is epic in every sense of the word. It’s no wonder why the track debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. Although the EP was promoted largely off the tease of The Weeknd addressing his respective public breakups with Bella Hadid and Selena Gomez, the thunderous opening track warranted repeat listens and demanded recommendations.
Unfortunately, as a project overall,nothing on the tracklist — not even the second single, “Try Me,” — lives up to the expectations set by “Call Out My Name.“This would be an issue even with an LP, as “Call Out My Name” packs such an emotional punch that’s difficult to top.
8Thursday (2011)
High for These Expectations
Released just five months after his first project,House of Balloons, Thursdayarrived with a heap of expectations. Maybe it has even more expectations today than it did back in 2011. After all, The Weeknd was a complete unknown in 2011, but now that he’s a superstar, newer fans are rediscovering his work, excited to learn what all the hubbub was about.
In a time when most musicians bragged about how much sex and partying they were doing, The Weeknd croons and bemoans about it like it’s a curse and a bittersweet, exhaustive routine.
Truthfully, it doesn’t resonate as strongly asHouse of Balloonsand is placed awkwardly in the middle of The Weeknd’sTrilogybetween a strong start and a strong end. That being said, it’s still easy to see why audiences were so enamored with The Weeknd in the early 2010s.
Like withHouse,Thursday’saesthetic was unique at the time. In a time when most musicians bragged about how much sex they were having and partying they were doing, The Weeknd croons and bemoans about it like it’s a curse and a bittersweet, exhaustive routine. Plus, “The Zone” feels like a time capsule made prior to The Weeknd(or anyone) ever having beef with Drake.
7Beauty Behind the Madness (2015)
A Departure from the Past, But Opens a Bright Future
The Weeknd’s second studio album is a steady improvement from his first almost instantly thinks to “Real Life” feeling like an intimate opening, immediately followed by Labrinth’s welcome folksy vibe as a feature on “Losers.” From there, listeners getan album with virtually no skips. This is a project where The Weeknd first started to delve deeper into mainstream media, as the tracklist features mega-hits “The Hills” and “Can’t Feel My Face,” as well as “Earned It,” the main theme song fromtheFifty Shades of Greysoundtrack.
Some listeners may be put off by the sudden increase in songs made to appeal to the masses. It’s the nature of pop music, but feels all the more striking applied to The Weeknd who, at the time, was more of a subversion to modern music. Still, the poppier songs don’t get in the way of standouts like “Tell Your Friends,” which helps round out one of The Weeknd’s best albums.
6Starboy (2016)
An Album Worth Bragging About
At this point in his career, The Weeknd is at the height of his fame. Despite the formula being a success for him, he still seemed anxious to experiment with his sound. He does just that with his third album, which features an array of different producers onboard.The addition of names like Diplo and Daft Punk on the soundboard allows The Weeknd to dabble with a more electronic sound, and thus,make for a more eclectic album.
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The Weeknd also benefits from having a star-studded line-up of features, includingGrammy winner Kendrick Lamarand Lana Del Rey. It’s tough to find an album that truly gets better with every song, butStarboyis that album. It features The Weeknd at his most confident and braggadocious. Different qualities of the album feel like a throwback to past records while also managing to be a natural progression into the next stage of his music.
5Hurry Up Tomorrow (2025)
Feels Like a Swan Song, But a Beautiful One
Hurry Up Tomorrowcloses out the trilogy started byAfter Hours, and as teased, potentially closes the chapter on Abel Tesfaye’s Weeknd persona. This is hismost ambitious of the three, musically speaking. While the synth-pop of previous albums is still at the forefront, the album does see The Weeknd willing to experiment with new genres throughout, including Brazilian funk and outright EDM. It’s impressive to see that he’s still so willing to experiment with new sounds at this later stage of his career.
WhileHurry Up Tomorrowdoes drag in places, as nearly 90 minutes is a bit long for an album, the consistency and closing tracks make it all worthwhile. The final act truly feels like the end of an era and, as a fan, one cannot help but listen in awe of the spectacle.
4Echoes of Silence (2011)
A Pitch-Perfect End to Trilogy
For any artist, even The Weeknd, it would be a bold move to start off a project with a cover song not only ofThe King of Pop himself, but of one of Michael Jackson’s all-time best songs, “Dirty Diana.“The Weeknd decided to kick off the finale ofTrilogyin the boldest way possible —and somehow, it works. Not just as a cover that paints “D.D.” with a darker, somber tone, but in howEchoes of Silencecarries that tone throughout the project.
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Echoes of Silencerounds outTrilogywith the same sounds that recurred throughout all three mixtapes. Most miraculously, the sound ofEchoes of Silencefeels inherently different from eitherHouseorThursdaywhile still carrying the same themes and motifs. A lot of thought was put into this one, and it makesTrilogyfeel all the more alive as a well-rounded story.
3Dawn FM (2022)
A Worthy Sequel to After Hours
Dawn FMserves as a companion piece toAfter Hoursthat is just as conceptual, but it doubles down on the synth-pop aesthetic that is layered beneathAfter Hours. The concept ofDawn FMis simpler than that ofAfter Hours, as this album offers more of an ’80s radio vibe than a subtle narrative (though a subtle narrative is still present), although it’s worth noting thatDawn FM’ssong-to-song transitions feel just as seamless. That said, the deeper focus on the music allows The Weeknd to nail down the poppier aspect ofAfter Hoursin all its full-fledged glory.
Tracks like “How Do I Make You Love Me?” capture the heart of the ’80s dance-pop scene to a tee. The Weeknd does such a superb job at capturing such a specific sound from a specific point in history that it makesDawn FMa must-listen for any ’80s music lovers.
2House of Balloons (2011)
A Game-Changing Debut
More of a mixtape than an album,House of Balloonswas nonetheless the official unveiling of The Weeknd. After remastering the 2011 track the following year, “Wicked Games” was the singer’s debut single and was the first of many hit records, peaking at #53 on the Hot 100. For a fresh face in 2013, that’s a huge way to pave a future.
Today, it’s easy to take The Weeknd’s sound for granted. However, back then,his voice and sound felt completely newin an audience market that was desperately looking for something new. Tracks like “High for This” and “The Morning” helped him stand out from the rest. Even today, the songs on this album seem far more sensually charged and hungry than most of his more recent tracks. It’s a great start to The Weeknd’s discography that set the bar for his career, and in many ways, in terms of his most quality works, isstillthe bar.
1After Hours (2020)
The Weeknd at His Best
After Hourscan be argued as the sharpest album The Weeknd has made so far. The Weeknd continues themes that date back toHouse of Balloons, this time in a way that tells a story with every track. The idea of self-destructive party behavior growing old and tired is ever-present.The melancholic lyrics bleed through a sound production that mixescatchy throwback synths with moody instrumentals.
The result is, by far, The Weeknd’sbest album to date and one that continues to be hard to top.
It’s hard to listen to any of these tracks in isolation from each other. Songs like “Heartless” and “Scared to Live” are terrific on their own, but a listener misses out on the story being told if they don’t follow through narratively from the first track to the last. Even better is that each track subtly transitions into the next, making the album all the more essential to listen to in totality. The result is, by far,The Weeknd’sbest album to date and one that continues to be hard to top.
