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Notably, the mixtape included a cover of Michael Jackson’s hit single Dirty Diana , called D.D. The Weeknd gave the classic song his own twist and personality. This cover is notable, as The Weeknd often cites Michael Jackson as his inspiration for singing and striving to become a better person. Together, the three mixtapes told a story. H ouse of B alloons offered slightly more celebratory themes, telling the story of a party and its aftermath. T hursday moved into a personal aspect by focusing on a particular relationship within this party atmosphere. Finally, E choes of S ilence used lyrical callbacks to the previous mixtapes, focusing on dark emotions that follow the aftermath of the events occurring in the previous two mixtapes. The trio of mixtapes encompassed the story of party culture and relationships with people and how the two intersect. Collaborations Same Old Song , featuring Juicy J T rilogy (Released November 09, 2012) In September 2012, after The Weeknd’s mixtapes had been downloaded over 8 million times, he signed with Republic Records. Following that, his previous three mixtapes— H ouse of

B alloons , T hursday , and E choes of S ilence —were remastered and rereleased as the album T rilogy . This compilation album allowed The Weeknd to breathe new life into his former work. Since all of the original mixtapes

had been made available for free download on his website, the new album also allowed the material to be repurposed for retail purchase. As a bonus, the remastered version of the mixtapes also included three previously unreleased tracks. Ahead of the album release, The Weeknd hosted his first media event: an intimate listening party in New York to preview the music. He also shared a music video for the song Rolling Stone in appreciation for the support his fans had given him along the way, thanking them for their continued support. He vowed to continue creating music that they enjoyed.

Scan here to watch the full music video for D.D. , The Weeknd’s cover of Dirty Diana , from the mixtape E choes of S ilence

His genuine words showed how truly valuable his fan base was to his work. In order to further promote the album and encourage its purchase, he released a highly anticipated music video with Drake for the second lead single, The Zone .

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HIP-HOP & R&B The Weeknd

The Weeknd