The Weeknd is one of the top artists in the world right now and has the most streamed song in history, “Blinding Lights,” with over 4 billion streams on Spotify. Most people can sing every word to his most popular songs, but what about his less popular ones? The Weeknd’s music is more complex than some people realize and he has a lot of amazing unpopular songs that I think everyone should listen to. Here are my favorite underrated songs from each of The Weeknd’s albums before his new album, Hurry Up Tomorrow, gets released on Jan. 24, 2025.
Let’s begin with his three mixtapes. You may recognize some of these songs from his compilation album Trilogy. For the sake of the article, I will be separating Trilogy into the 3 original mixtapes from which the album originated.
- House of Balloons
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House of Balloons, released in 2011, has popular songs such as “House of Balloons/Glass Table Girls” and “The Morning.” These songs have gained popularity on apps like TikTok. My favorite song from this album, which many people aren’t familiar with, is “The Knowing.” This is the least popular song on this album, but it is also one of my top three songs by him! This song is about The Weeknd finding out he’s been cheated on, and exclaiming that he knows everything that occurred with his partner’s infidelity.
- Thursday
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His next mixtape is called Thursday. This album is less known than House of Balloons and came out shortly after. This album features Drake, which showed how The Weeknd was gaining popularity. My favorite song from this album and my favorite song of The Weeknd’s is “The Birds Pt. 2.” This song is about The Weeknd blaming a woman for falling in love with him. At the beginning of the song, you hear a woman crying. She is upset because she fell in love with him when he told her not to and that he was going to leave her. He repeats many times, “I’m just a bird,” meaning that he can’t stay in one place, or with one person, for too long and will fly away. She’s begging him to wait until she falls out of love with him until she moves on. This song is after “The Birds Pt.1,” which would make more sense to listen to before you listen to part 2. That song is more upbeat compared to the second song which has a more melancholic beat.
- Echos of Silence
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Echos of Silence is the last mixtape in his collection. It is arguably his least popular album and has his least streamed song, “Initiation.” This album isn’t one of my favorites, but it does have some good songs. “XO/The Host” is my favorite song from this album! This song is essentially 2 songs in one. “XO” is about The Weeknd trying to convince a girl to join his circle and his lifestyle. The Weeknd’s followers are called XOs and it is also the name of his record label. “The Host” is an interlude of what is going to be revealed in the next song of the album, which is “Initiation.” I prefer “XO” in this song, but the song as a whole is very good!
Next are The Weeknd’s studio albums. He has five albums, and an EP called My Dear Melancholy, but this will not be included due to how short it is.
- Kissland
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Kissland is The Weeknd’s first studio album and was released in 2013. This album is my favorite and has no skips, in my opinion. I think that album as a whole is underrated. The most underrated song from that album is “Adaptation.” This song is about The Weeknd talking about how he was with a woman but then broke up with her in order to be free and have fun. He then realizes that she might have been “the one” for him. He’s upset he let her go but then exclaims that he “adapted” to never seeing her again, implying that he’s moved on.
- Beauty Behind the Madness
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Beauty Behind the Madness, released in 2015, is The Weeknd’s second album and has gained popularity over the years. This album has some of his most popular songs including “The Hills” and “Earned It.” My favorite underrated song from this album is “Shameless.” This song is about 2 friends who have a more-than-friends relationship. The girl is in love with The Weeknd, but he views them as strictly friends. He blames her for not being completely honest about her feelings, and he says he has no shame in what he’s doing, even though he’s causing her emotional damage.
- starboy
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Starboy, released in 2016, is the album that threw The Weeknd into the spotlight and made him quickly gain popularity. With popular songs like “Starboy” and “Stargirl Interlude,” featuring Lana Del Rey, it was understandable he would gain more listeners. One of my favorite songs on this album, which is one of his lesser-known songs, is “All I Know,” featuring Future. This song is about The Weeknd trying to convince a woman that he is not a womanizer, despite what she has heard from others. Throughout the song, he is trying to convince her that he only wants her and no one else. She is only trying to protect herself from getting hurt by his playboy reputation.
- after hours
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After Hours, released in 2020, is one of The Weeknd’s most popular albums and contains his most popular song, “Blinding Lights.” Other popular songs from this album are “Heartless” and “After Hours.” My favorite underrated song from this album is “Escape From LA.” This song is about The Weeknd and his partner going through a rocky patch in their relationship. It has been revealed that he was not faithful to her in their relationship. He blames Los Angeles for changing him due to its chaotic and fast-paced lifestyle. In order to fix their relationship, he suggests that he and his partner leave LA for somewhere calmer and better for their relationship.
- dawn fm
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Dawn FM is The Weeknd’s latest album, released in 2022. It’s very different from his typical style, with more synth sounds, and almost a 1980s vibe. Some of the more popular songs on the album are “Sacrifice,” “Take My Breath,” and “Out of Time.” It is also narrated by actor Jim Carrey. My underrated song for this album is “Gasoline.” It has a more unique sound with some of his singing style being very different from his normal style. This song is about The Weeknd’s unhealthy relationship with his partner, due to his drug problem. Throughout the song, he is begging her to not leave him but to also allow him to continue his drug use. He says in the song that if he overdoses and dies, do not bury him or have a funeral, but wrap his body up in a sheet, pour gasoline on him, and set him on fire.
The Weeknd is my favorite artist of all time and has some very complex lyrics and storylines in his songs that many don’t pay attention to. He uses a lot of his real-life experiences to inspire his songs. With Hurry Up Tomorrow’s release date quickly approaching, I suggest you listen to some of his songs (whether they were the ones I recommended or not) to get you excited for this upcoming album! This is also the last album he will be releasing under his stage name, The Weeknd. From now on, he will be going by his actual name, Abel Tesfaye. Some of the clips from this album have been released by him, and it sounds great! Look out for an album review in the near future!