House of Balloons

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. House of Balloons was commercially reissued in 2012 through Republic Records as the first disc of the Weeknd's compilation album Trilogy, and was reissued in its original version with all samples present in 2021.

After releasing music under aliases in 2009, the Weeknd met with several producers, including Cirkut, Illangelo, and Jeremy Rose in 2010 and 2011 in Toronto, where songs on the mixtape were created. In January 2011, Doc McKinney and Illangelo became the project's primary producers. House of Balloons is an alternative R&B record that incorporates elements of dream pop, electro, rock, pop, and other genres. The lyrics symbolize the Weeknd's experiences in Toronto, and describe drug abuse, sexual encounters, and parties.

The Weeknd performed at select venues and music festivals throughout 2011 to promote House of Balloons, and the songs "Wicked Games" and "Twenty Eight" – the latter a bonus track included in the 2012 reissue – were released as singles. "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, but had more success on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, peaking at number 37.

House of Balloons received widespread acclaim; music critics praised its dark aesthetic, production, and lyrical content. House of Balloons was shortlisted for the 2011 Polaris Music Prize, 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 the more-upbeat tone of late-2000s-decade R&B.