The Weeknd Was Not Happy The First Time He Heard Usher's "Climax"

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The Weeknd Usher Climax sound angry reaction House Of Balloons
The Weeknd confessed that he got "angry" the first time he heard Usher's "Climax" in 2012 because he thought it sounded like "a Weeknd song."

The Weeknd is well aware of the impact he had on pop and R&B music with his debut mixtape, House of Balloons, but he wasn't always happy about it. The singer dropped his highly-anticipated album, After Hoursjust under three weeks ago, marking his fourth studio album and his first in four years since 2016's Starboy. Although his sound has evolved a fair amount since he catapulted onto the scene in 2011 with House of Balloons, The Weeknd's initial debut was unlike anything we'd ever heard at the time.

The Weeknd Was Not Happy The First Time He Heard <a href=Usher's "Climax"">

House of Balloons literally changed the sound of pop music before my eyes,” he told Variety in his cover story for the publication's latest issue. However, despite how exciting it was that his sound was impacting the landscape of the music scene, he didn't always appreciate that other artists seemed to be emulating him.

“I heard ‘Climax,’ that Usher song, and was like, ‘Holy f*ck, that’s a Weeknd song,'" he recalled. Although "it was very flattering," that, according to The Weeknd, the R&B heavyweight had seemingly taken inspiration from his own sound, he "also got angry." However, he recognized that it also meant that "I was doing something right," and, "the older I got, I realized it’s a good thing.” Do you think "Climax" sounds like a Weeknd song?


About The Author
<b>Staff Writer</b> <!--BR--> Originally from Vancouver, Lynn Sharpe is a Montreal-based writer for HNHH. She graduated from Concordia University where she contributed to her campus for two years, often producing pieces on music, film, television, and pop culture at large. She enjoys exploring and analyzing the complexities of music through the written word, particularly hip-hop. As a certified Barb since 2009, she has always had an inclination towards female rap.
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