The Weeknd Says His ‘Trilogy” Project Inspired Justin Timberlake & Beyoncé

Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye could easily be crowned the biggest breakout artist of 2015. The Canadian singer’s Beauty Behind The Madness sold over 300,000 copies out the gate and spent three weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200. His singles “Earned It,” “Can’t Feel My Face,” and “The Hills” have all cracked the top 3 on the Hot 100.

Before topping the charts this year, The Weeknd grabbed the attention of music followers with his 2012 compilation Trilogy. The project took repackaged songs from his three critically acclaimed 2011 mixtapes House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence. The Republic Records artist told Rolling Stone he believes Trilogy sparked a trend that inspired two of the most successful music stars on the planet.

“I probably could have toured off Trilogy for the rest of my life,” stated The Weeknd. “It definitely changed the culture. No one can do a trilogy again without thanking The Weeknd. A lot of artists started doing things faster and quicker after that: Justin Timberlake dropped two albums in a year, Beyoncé dropped a surprise album.”

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