Where were you when The Weeknd changed R&B? 12 years ago, on March 21, 2011, The Weeknd released House of Balloons. Its influence lives on in music today, and it remains my favorite mixtape ever made.

This project is an experience. House of Balloons features many catchy and memorable songs, but despite its name, it is no utopia. Its themes do not revolve around fun and extravagance. Its title and its title track “House of Balloons/Glass Table Girls” are used to contrast its themes of unfulfillment and sadness, drug use, and The Weeknd’s relationships with women. “This is a happy house. We’re happy here,” the song repeats. It sounds like it is derived from a horror movie. It isn’t fun; it’s eerie.

Throughout the mixtape are songs dedicated to lust, partying, and the use of substances, including some of his best songs like “The Morning” and “High for This.” The lifestyle depicted is well-written, and at first glance, could be seen as anthems for parties and life. Songs like “Wicked Games” and “Glass Table Girls” are dark in tone and production. “Wicked Games,” for instance, is smooth, catchy, and suave, but its meaning is much grimmer. The singer describes how he uses women as means of pleasure to distract from life’s troubles, along with his drug use. They add one night of happiness and the feeling of being appreciated. “So tell me you love me. (Only for the night).”

The Weeknd details in the mixtape’s grand finale, “The Knowing,” that a woman whom he has been unfaithful to has been unfaithful to him as well. This doesn’t hurt him, and he acknowledges that he, too, has done wrong. At this point, he is numb to the pain. It has been hidden under all the unfulfilling parties and lustful nights. “I ain’t washing my sins. Now, we’re lying about the nights, hiding all it behind the smiles.”

Throughout the 2010s, we’ve seen the emergence of some outstanding R&B artists such as Bryson Tiller, Brent Faiyaz, and Summer Walker. This wave of the genre is undeniably influenced by the success of The Weeknd’s early work. The R&B of the 2000s was much more lighthearted and evocative, pioneered by Musiq Soulchild, Alicia Keys, and others. While this subgenre provided sad and dark subject matter at times, House of Balloons introduced the idea that R&B could be grim and sonder with production focused on being minimalist, aloofly mystique. 

“I’m not gonna say any names, but just listen to the radio. Every song is House of Balloons 2.0.” – The Weeknd, 2015