House of Balloons is the debut mixtape by the Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd. It was self-released free of charge on March 21, 2011, through his own record label, XO. It was commercially reissued in 2012 as the first disc in the Weeknd's compilation album, Trilogy, through Republic Records, and reissued in its original version, with all samples present, in 2021.
Initially releasing music under different aliases in 2009, the Weeknd met with several producers, including Cirkut, Illangelo, and Jeremy Rose, in Toronto between 2010 and 2011, where songs from the mixtape were periodically created. In January 2011, Doc McKinney and Illangelo became the project's primary producers. Musically, it is an alternative R&B record that incorporates different elements of genres such as dream pop, electro, rock, and pop. Symbolizing the Weeknd's experiences in Toronto, Ontario, the mixtape's lyrical themes detail drug abuse, sexual encounters, and parties.
The Weeknd performed at select venues and festivals throughout 2011 to promote the mixtape. Two singles supported the mixtape, "Wicked Games", and a bonus track included in the 2012 reissue, "Twenty Eight". "Wicked Games" was the Weeknd's debut single and peaked at 53 on the Billboard Hot 100. In the United States, House of Balloons made its first appearance on the Billboard 200 more than 10 years after its release, peaking at 113. It encountered more success on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, peaking at number 37.
The mixtape received widespread acclaim, with music critics praising its dark aesthetic, production, and lyrical content. House of Balloons earned a spot in the 2011 Polaris Music Prize shortlist, and it was frequently listed as one of the best projects of 2011. The Weeknd's anonymity during the project's rollout is attributed to fueling his popularity growth, inspiring artists to use the same approach. House of Balloons is also cited as altering the R&B genre, with its darker production, lyricism, and vocals contrasting with R&B's more upbeat tone in the late 2000's.
Background and production
At the age of seventeen, the Weeknd dropped out of school and left his home, relocating to an apartment with two friends in Toronto, Ontario.[1] As these events occurred over a weekend, he adopted the stage name "the Weeknd", with the omission of the second "e" being done to avoid trademark issues with Canadian band the Weekend.[2] Before using this stage name, the Weeknd released music through YouTube in 2009, working under the stage name "Kin Kane" as part of a hip-hop duo called "Bulleez n Nerdz".[3][4] During this time, he was also a part of a songwriting and production team called "the Noise", writing demos intended for artists such as Drake, Justin Timberlake, and Chris Brown.[5][4]
In 2010, the Weeknd met producer Jeremy Rose through mutual friends in Toronto. After the Weeknd freestyled over numerous of Rose's instrumentals, Rose asked him if he wanted to work together as a "dark R&B project".[6] 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".[6] Rose left the project due to creative differences, but allowed the Weeknd to use the songs they produced under the condition that he would receive production credits.[7] 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 appeared on the Weeknd's second mixtape, Thursday (2011).[8] The Weeknd met producer Cirkut through a mutual friend, and the two created "High for This" in one day.[9] "Wicked Games" was written by the Weeknd and Rainer Millar-Blanchaer. Meeting through mutual friends, they wrote the track in Millar-Blanchaer's home studio.[10]
Cirkut introduced the Weeknd to Doc McKinney in January 2011. McKinney played the Weeknd multiple instrumentals, including the one for "House of Balloons", made sometime in 2009.[9] While creating the song, the Weeknd's desire to rap led to McKinney improvising another beat within the track, becoming a reworked version of "Glass Table Girls".[11] McKinney, the Weeknd, and later Illangelo began further work on the mixtape in January.[8] "The Knowing" was the first song the trio recorded together. Desiring something "wavy", the Weeknd asked McKinney to slow the instrumental down from its original tempo of 90 beats per minute multiple times, becoming satisfied with the track once its tempo was at 45.[9] As production progressed, the trio decided to release the mixtape for free, Illangelo recalling that it was in a rebellious manner.[8]
Recording for House of Balloons shifted between different studios in Toronto, including McKinney's private studio, and Illangelo's personal room in Dream House Studios. Illangelo recalled that the constant change in environment turned each song into a "collage of different equipment", making it challenging to mix each song into one body of work.[12] 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 out his thoughts during recording sessions.[13]
The Weeknd found inspiration in music from the 1980s while creating House of Balloons.[14] He also revealed that Deftones heavily inspired the mixtape, alongside his two other mixtapes released in 2011, Thursday and Echoes of Silence.[15] In a 2013 interview with Complex, the Weeknd revealed that House of Balloons was not mixed or mastered, attributing the decision to him viewing it as a mixtape, not an album. He added that 14 tracks were planned for the mixtape before he lent some tracks to the Canadian rapper Drake for his own album, Take Care (2011).[16]
Composition
Music and lyrics
House of Balloons is categorized as an alternative R&B record,[17][18] incorporating elements of different genres such as dream pop, electro, rock, hip-hop, trip hop, lo-fi, pop, and gothic rock.[19][20][21][22][23] The Weeknd's mixing of genres with different samples reflected a movement of black pop/R&B artists interacting with music from white, indie pop rock artists.[23] Symbolizing his experiences in Toronto,[16]House of Balloons explores, but does not romanticize the loneliness of partying in the night,[24] detailing late-night sexual and drug escapades,[25] the aftermath of partying,[22] and hedonistic fantasies.[26]
Tracks
The mixtape opens with an "eerie, ominous" ringing sound in "High for This", a dark wave and bedroom R&B song. Beginning with whispered, soft vocals and an echoing instrumental, it 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.[25][27][28][29] "What You Need" is an R&B track featuring a minimalistic beat, a basic minor synth chord progression, vocals described by Pitchfork's Larry Fitzmaurice 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".[30][31][32]
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 structured upon 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 that his party is stable, dubbing it a "happy house".[33][34][35] Three and a half minutes in, the track transitions into its second part, "Glass Table Girls". Described to be thematically darker than the first part, it features a numbed rap with a low-end churn, a pulsating synth, and brute percussion that shows a negative side to partying, describing sex and use of drugs.[36][35][22][32] "The Morning", a song with large and rich production supported by what Joe Colly of Pitchfork describes as "whining guitars and sparkling synths", a distorted bass, and softly sung vocals, sees the Weeknd in an upbeat moment before coming down from the highs of the party that occurred the night before.[37][38][28] "Wicked Games" is a soul ballad with a percussive backbeat. The singer dramatically delivers lyrics about aching for love, even if the feelings are not mutual.[39][40][19]
The mixtape's sixth track is another two-part track, titled "The Party & the After Party". Its first half, "The Party", is described as a blend of rap, rock, and pop. It uses a sped-up version of American duo Beach House's 2006 track "Master of None" for its instrumental, with flickering bells and smooth claps. In this part of the track, the Weeknd attempts to seduce a girl, eventually having sex with her.[20][19][34] "The Party" transitions into the second part of the track, "The After Party" three minutes and eighteen seconds in. The production switches to a staccato melody with lush harmonies and acoustic guitar plucks. Picking up from the events of the first part, the Weeknd wonders if this hook-up was the right idea.[34][38] Directly following the night of fast-paced ecstasy shown in "The Party & the After Party" is the seventh track on House of Balloons, "Coming Down". Including a vocal sample from the anime Fate/stay night, the song is supported with the sound of wind and a mini-motif. Throughout the song, the Weeknd murmurs for his partner's stmpathy as he admits his regret and reaffirms his loyalty to his partner, who he cheated on the night before.[28][41][42][43]
With "Loft Music", the Weeknd samples Beach House again, using their 2008 track, "Gila". In the chorus-less first half of the track, the Weeknd mixes rapping and singing together while reassuring a woman skeptical 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 Billboard's Bianca Gracie describes as "ethereal" production, as the Weeknd wails throughout the track.[44][28] The original mixtape ends with "The Knowing", built off of a sample from Cocteau Twins' 1990 song, "Cherry-Coloured Funk". With breathy vocals and a reverberant guitar, "The Knowing" displays the narrator's anger at his partner's infidelity, while despite his vulnerability, pretends to be accepting of it.[45][21] On future reissues of House of Balloons, a bonus track is included, named "Twenty Eight". Accompanied by a pensive piano, the song describes the feeling of being heartbroken by a woman.[46][47]
Promotion
Title and artwork
The Weeknd's old house that became the namesake for House of Balloons
The mixtape's title originates from a house the Weeknd and his friends used to live in, located at 65 Spencer Street, Parkdale, Toronto. He explained that he and his friends would throw parties, and added balloons for a more celebratory feel.[4] Its cover art depicts a woman with her face obscured by balloons, and her left breast exposed.[48] The Weeknd asked his friend La Mar Taylor for a cover photo, since the mixtape was ready for release. Taylor shot the cover at his house with his ex-girlfriend.[49]
Release and marketing
House of Balloons was preceded by three promotional singles, "What You Need", "The Morning", and "Loft Music", all released in December 2010.[50] The songs gained traction online, two of these songs eventually being shared by Oliver El-Khatib, manager of Drake, through the latter's blog post on December 12. On March 7, 2011, Drake posted "Wicked Games" to his website, garnering more attention towards the Weeknd.[51]House of Balloons was released free of charge via a zip folder on March 21, 2011.[9]
In May 2011, "High for This" was used in promotional material for the HBO original series Entourage.[52] After multiple unofficial music videos, the Weeknd released his first official music video on November 24, for "The Knowing", directed by Mikael Colombu.[53] Throughout 2011, the Weeknd performed in numerous venues and music festivals, including the Mod Club Theatre,[54] Drake's OVO Fest,[55] the Guelph Concert Theater, and the London Music Hall.[56]
After announcing a deal with Republic Records, a mastered and mixed version of "Wicked Games" was released on September 14, 2012.[57] The song was serviced to rhythmic contemporary radio on September 25, 2012.[58] It was the Weeknd's debut single, and charted on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 53.[59] The Weeknd worked to clear all samples present in House of Balloons to re-release it through Republic as part of Trilogy (2012), a compilation album comprising properly 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.[31][42] With Trilogy's release on November 13, 2012, a bonus song, "Twenty Eight", was included for the House of Balloons disc. It was released the same day as both House of Balloons and Trilogy's second single.[60][61] The mixtape's mastered and mixed version, including "Twenty Eight", was released as an LP record on August 14, 2015.[62] On its ten-year anniversary, the Weeknd cleared all samples present on House of Balloons, releasing its original 2011 version to streaming services on March 21, 2021.[63] American artist Daniel Arsham was enlisted to create merchandise for the anniversary, and special artwork for a limited-edition LP record.[64]
House of Balloons was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 87, based on 16 reviews.[66] The aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 8.0 out of 10, based on its assessment of the critical consensus.[65] Based on these statistics, Metacritic determined that House of Balloons was the third best-reviewed project of 2011,[71] while AnyDecentMusic? determined it was the 10th best reviewed-project of the year.[72]
Reviewers such as Joe Colly of Pitchfork,[29] Corey Beasley of PopMatters,[38] Andy Kellman of AllMusic,[40] and Sean Fennessey of The Village Voice gave praise to the sound and atmosphere of House of Balloons.[73] Critics such as Colly, Kellman, and The A.V. Club's Evan Rytlewski gave their attention to the production of the project's songs, with Colly noting it as being "incredibly lush, downcast".[29][40][67] Tom Ewing of The Guardian remarked that the mixtape's music is "amazingly effective", believing its atmosphere was what got the mixtape so much attention.[36]
Critics gave praise to the Weeknd's vocals, shown in reviews from Carrie Battan of The Boston Phoenix,[68] Mike Diver of BBC Music,[74] and Kevin Ritchie of Now, who stated his vocal delivery created a "tension remiscent of Aaliyah's clear-headed emotional states".[70]Drowned in Sound's David Pott-Negrine called the Weeknd's falsetto soulful, stating it "cuts through everything like a knife".[22]Sputnikmusic's Tyler Fisher compared the Weeknd's vocals to Frank Ocean and the-Dream's, dubbing it a "silky smooth R&B voice".[32]
Some critics, despite their positive reviews, also had some of their own criticisms regarding the mixtape, seen in reviews from Ewing,[36] Andrew Baer of No Ripcord,[25] and Will Hermes of Rolling Stone.[44] Ewing believed that the Weeknd's vocals and lyrics were not strong by "R&B standards",[36] Baer believed its sound to not be innovative,[25] while Hermes thought the mixtape could have spawned hit songs if the Weeknd improved lyrically and sonically.[44] Dom Sinacola of Cokemachineglow believed that the project "lack[ed] dynamism".[75]
Accolades and rankings
On July 6, 2011, House of Balloons earned a spot as a 2011 Polaris Music Prize shortlist nominee.[76] The mixtape appeared in 26 different publications' list of the best projects of 2011.[77] Those who placed House of Balloons in their lists include Complex (1st),[78]Fact (1st),[79]Stereogum (5th),[80]The A.V. Club (6th),[81]Billboard (7th),[26]The Guardian (8th),[82]Pitchfork (10th),[83] and Spin (13th).[84] The mixtape ranked 13th on The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop mass critics' poll.[85]
Two publications ranked House of Balloons on their lists of the best projects of the 21st century, Complex ranking it at number 10 and Rolling Stone at number 99.[86][87] It also appeared on some lists of the best albums of the 2010s, ranked by Slant Magazine at 84,[88]Pitchfork at 75,[89]Vice at 40,[90] and Billboard at 20.[91] Additionally, Jem Aswad of Variety and Josiah Gogarty of GQ mentioned the mixtape on their own personal lists.[92][93]
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. Selling 10,000 album-equivalent units, its entry on the chart was caused by a vinyl reissue. The same week, it charted at the fourth spot on the Vinyl Albums chart and the tenth spot on the Top Album Sales chart.[94] On the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, it peaked at number 37 on the chart dated September 19, 2015.[95] Internationally, House of Balloons peaked at the top spot in Greece,[96] number 12 on the United Kingdom's R&B Albums Chart,[97] number 40 in Belgium's Wallonia chart,[98] 80 in Lithuania,[99] and 120 in Portugal.[100] The project was certified platinum in Canada,[101] and gold in Australia and the United Kingdom.[102][103]
Legacy
Use of anonymity
The Weeknd's anonymous approach to releasing House of Balloons inspired artists such as Lorde to act similarly.
When the Weeknd released House of Balloons, he remained anonymous, and his identity's mystery created speculation on who he was, some believing he was a group rather than a solo artist.[104][105] With this mystique, combined with his rare public appearances, audiences only had a mysterious persona to latch onto, making his music their main focus, fueling his popularity growth.[106] Speaking on his anonymity, the Weeknd believed that his physical appearance rendered him unmarketable for the R&B genre, preferring to be judged for his music.[107]Billboard attributed his approach to anonymity, described as using striking art direction with a mysterious identity, to inspiring artists such as PartyNextDoor, H.E.R., and Dvsn to do the same.[34] According to New Zealand singer Lorde, she attempted to emulate the Weeknd's "cryptic ... rollouts" when she released her debut extended play, The Love Club (2012).[108]Uproxx's Bianca Gracie claimed that the Weeknd's mystique inspired an entire generation of people to conceal their faces on social media posts, with the desire to not be seen.[48]
Musical influence
It was in March of 2011 that Abel Tesfaye jump-started an r'n'b evolution ... A vibrant, rich, and engaging landscape that has not only become a focal point within pop culture at large, but one that dictates other sonic trends while keeping a firm grasp on the listening-public's interest.
Publications have stated that House of Balloons altered the R&B genre.[86][110][111] Prior to the mixtape's release, R&B music in the late 2000's mainly consisted of upbeat synth-infused tracks that borrowed elements from snap music. House of Ballloons contrasted with much of the genre's status quo, using dark production, lyricism, and vocals, rather than a glossy and 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 some rules".[112]
Uproxx stated that critics who negatively viewed R&B before were now praising the genre after the mixtape's release.[48] While revisiting it in a retrospective analysis, Sam-Hockley Smith of The Fader stated that the project made upbeat songs outdated and "lame", which he believed contributed to its influence on music. Smith continued on, stating that due to House of Balloons' success, everyone, including the Weeknd himself, attempted to replicate the mixtape's sadness to no success.[24]Rolling Stone attributed the mixtape's "murky" and sexually explicit sound as the inspiration behind 12 different tracks from artists ranging from Justin Bieber to SZA. American singer Usher's 2012 single, "Climax", mentioned in the Rolling Stone article, was confirmed by the song's producer, Diplo, to have been influenced by the production in House of Balloons.[113][114]
12Blanton, Dakotah (December 19, 2023). "41 Best The Weeknd Songs". Music Grotto. Archived from the original on April 29, 2025. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
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