When The Weeknd linked with Daft Punk, the world expected a full collaborative album. Instead, we got two tracks: "Starboy" and "I Feel It Coming." However, session tapes reveal at least four other unreleased The Weeknd songs produced by the robotic duo.
The most circulated is "Take Me Back to LA" —a surprisingly slow, vocoder-heavy track that feels like Random Access Memories meets Trilogy. Another is "On Top," a minimal funk groove that was scrapped because it sounded "too much like a Discovery B-side." Until Daft Punk's unreleased archives open (if ever), these low-quality snippets are all fans have. They remain the white whales of Weeknd collectors.
Artist: The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye) Context: Leaks, Demos, and Throwaways Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
In the modern music landscape, few artists have a "vault" as mythologized as Abel Tesfaye’s. While official albums like House of Balloons and After Hours define the canon of modern R&B, The Weeknd’s unreleased discography offers a raw, unfiltered look at his creative process. For dedicated fans, these tracks are not just throwaways; they are essential pieces of the puzzle that bridge the gaps between his distinct sonic eras.
Exploring the hidden side of Abel Tesfaye’s catalog reveals a world of dark, atmospheric demos and scrapped concepts that never made it to official platforms
. While his studio albums define modern R&B, "The Weeknd" has a vast unreleased discography spanning from his pre-fame days as part of "The Noise" to the modern-day "Afterlife" era. The Early Era: The Noise EP (2007–2009) Before the dark, drug-infused themes of House of Balloons , Abel was part of a production team called
. These songs are noticeably more "pop-centric" and upbeat compared to his later work. "Birthday Suit"
: One of the most famous early leaks, originally recorded as a demo for Drake. "Love Through Her"
: A melodic track highlighting Abel’s raw vocal range before he found his signature "gloomy" sound.
: A catchy, more traditional R&B track that sounds worlds apart from the Other Notable Early Tracks : "Godzilla," "Rescue You," and "Appointment". The Leaked "Private Stash" (2014–2016) Unreleased The Weeknd Songs
In May 2016, a massive leak of 11 songs from Abel’s private catalog surfaced online, mostly from the Beauty Behind the Madness "Out Here"
: A fan favorite often cited for its eerie, haunting atmosphere that fits the "King of the Fall" vibe.
: A heavily distorted, experimental track that showed Abel’s willingness to push genre boundaries. "Insomnia" : Widely regarded by fans on
as one of the hardest-hitting unreleased tracks from this era. "Wanna Feel You"
: A reference track that provides a glimpse into his creative process during the The "Scrapped" Albums and Concepts
Throughout his career, Abel has famously pivoted between projects, leaving entire concepts behind.
The Shadow Discography: A Guide to Unreleased The Weeknd Songs
While Abel Tesfaye has built a multibillion-dollar empire on global hits like "Blinding Lights," a vast "shadow discography" exists beneath the surface. For the XO fan base, tracking unreleased The Weeknd songs is a journey through scrapped eras, raw demos, and legendary leaks that offer a glimpse into the artist's evolving psyche.
Below is a comprehensive guide to the most significant unreleased tracks and the "lost" albums they belong to. 1. The Lost Albums: Scrapped Eras When The Weeknd linked with Daft Punk, the
The Weeknd is known for being a perfectionist, often shelving entire projects when they no longer align with his emotional state.
The Upbeat Album (2017): Prior to the somber My Dear Melancholy, Tesfaye completed an entire "upbeat" and "beautiful" album. Following his split from Selena Gomez, he scrapped the project because he didn't want to perform music he no longer felt.
The "King of the Fall" Era (2014): Between Kiss Land and Beauty Behind the Madness, a bridge project existed that featured darker, hip-hop-leaning tracks like "King of the Fall" and "Often".
The Scrapped 2022 Album: Before settling on the direction for Hurry Up Tomorrow, an earlier 2022 project was reportedly replaced to fit the final chapter of his current trilogy. 2. Fan-Favorite Unreleased Tracks
Unreleased The Weeknd Songs: A Treasure Trove of Unheard Gems
The Weeknd, born Abel Tesfaye, has been a dominant force in the music industry since his debut in 2011. With a discography that boasts numerous chart-topping hits and critically acclaimed albums, fans have been eagerly awaiting a glimpse into his vault of unreleased material. While some of these songs have surfaced through leaks or live performances, many remain hidden from the public eye. Here's a compilation of some of the most notable unreleased The Weeknd songs, along with an in-depth look at their creation, themes, and significance.
Kiss Land is The Weeknd’s misunderstood sophomore album. It was a bloated, cinematic horror movie of a record. But the cutting room floor for this album is legendary.
Tracks like "Enemy" (which later surfaced online) feature a haunting string section and a hook that sounds more modern than the actual album. Another gem is "I Wanna Feel You" (also known as "Divergent" due to its appearance on that film's unfinished score). During the Kiss Land tour, Abel previewed a song called "In Heaven" —a cover of the Eraserhead soundtrack—that never received an official release. These unreleased The Weeknd songs are characterized by their J-horror textures and robotic vocal effects, representing a creative dead-end that he brilliantly revisited later on My Dear Melancholy.
The Weeknd’s unreleased catalog is not just a collection of B-sides; it is a sprawling, alternative history of the last decade of pop music. While the audio quality of leaks varies drastically, the songwriting quality remains staggeringly high. Even in throwaway tracks, Abel’s lyricism—obsessive, hedonistic, and self-loathing—remains poignant. Conclusion: The unreleased works of The Weeknd serve
For the casual listener, the low fidelity might be a hurdle. But for the enthusiast, these songs are a treasure trove. They prove that The Weeknd’s "worst" songs are often better than many artists' best singles.
Standout Unreleased Tracks to Seek Out:
Conclusion: The unreleased works of The Weeknd serve as a testament to his work ethic and artistic vision. They provide the necessary context to understand how a mysterious anonymous artist from Toronto became the biggest pop star in the world. It is a shadow discography that demands to be heard.
Title: Echoes of a Hollow Heart
Era: Kiss Land (2013-2014, scrapped deluxe edition)
Producer: Silky Johnson (fictional collaborator), DannyBoyStyles
Leak Date: June 2018
Sound: A murky, 6-minute slow-burn. Opens with the sound of a shattering windshield and rain. Abel’s voice is pitched low, layered over a distorted, reversed sample of a Japanese city pop ballad. The chorus is deceptively catchy: “I gave you my chest / You carved out your name / now every breath / just echoes the pain.” Contains a rare, unedited scream ad-lib in the bridge.
Title: Starry Eyes (Original Demo)
Era: After Hours (2019, before the Max Martin overhaul)
Producer: Metro Boomin, Frank Dukes
Leak Date: November 2021
Sound: This version of the song that eventually became “Save Your Tears” is completely different. It’s a stark, piano-and-trap-soul ballad with no 80s synth. The lyrics are brutally direct: “You laughed at my funeral / said the black suit made me look thin.” The final chorus has a blown-out 808 bass drop that was deemed “too aggressive” for the final album.
Title: Blue Monday (feat. Lana Del Rey)
Era: Dawn FM (2021, unreleased collaboration)
Producer: Oneohtrix Point Never, Max Martin
Leak Date: March 2023 (from a CD-R found in a rented London studio)
Sound: A cover of the New Order classic, but completely deconstructed. It’s a spoken-word intro from Lana over a heartbeat monitor, then a drop into a Jim Carrey-narrated interlude before Abel finally sings the first verse in a falsetto whisper. The chorus is replaced by a dissonant, choir-like synth pad. Only 90 seconds long. Fans are divided.
Title: 3 AM (Talk to Me)
Era: My Dear Melancholy, (2018, extended sessions)
Producer: Skrillex, Gesaffelstein
Leak Date: December 2020 (via a mysterious SoundCloud account named “@xotwod”)
Sound: A blistering, industrial R&B track. Skrillex’s signature growling bass meets Gesaffelstein’s cold, metallic percussion. Abel raps—not sings—the first verse in a drugged-out flow about a secret Vegas wedding that fell apart after 48 hours. The outro is a voicemail from a woman laughing, then hanging up.
Title: The Fall (Part II)
Era: Trilogy (2012, recorded for Echoes of Silence but cut)
Producer: Illangelo, Doc McKinney
Leak Date: September 2016 (from a stolen hard drive)
Sound: A direct sequel to “The Fall” from Thursday. It picks up exactly where that song ended, with the same synth drone. Now, the protagonist has hit rock bottom. The beat is just a single, off-kilter kick drum and a reversed cymbal. Abel’s vocals are untreated and raw, cracking on lines like: “I took the whole bottle / just to feel small / your ghost is a parasite / eating my all.” No chorus. It fades to silence abruptly.
Title: Vista (Male Bonding Remix)
Era: Starboy (2016, outtake from the Daft Punk sessions)
Producer: Daft Punk, Doc McKinney (uncredited remix by Kavinsky)
Leak Date: January 2024 (high-quality WAV file leaked by a former Universal intern)
Sound: A rare Daft Punk instrumental that Abel wrote top-line for but never finished. The remix adds Kavinsky’s signature Drive synths. It’s an instrumental 90% of the way, with Abel only whispering the word “Vista” every 16 bars. It was allegedly intended for a cancelled Starboy short film. A fan-favorite for studying or night driving.
Title: Mercy (On My Knees)
Era: Hurry Up Tomorrow (2024, scrapped lead single)
Producer: Mike Dean, Justice
Leak Date: February 2025
Sound: The most “finished” unreleased track. A stadium-sized, French-touch electronic gospel song. Abel sings in his chest voice about public downfall and redemption. A children’s choir enters in the final minute, singing the melody from “Blinding Lights” in Latin. It ends with a phone ringing three times, then a click. No voicemail. Just silence.
Why they remain unreleased (fictional notes):