Unreleased The Weeknd Songs Best Now

For over a decade, Abel Tesfaye—better known as The Weeknd—has dominated the charts with a unique blend of moody R&B, synth-wave nostalgia, and visceral lyrical content. From House of Balloons to Dawn FM, his official discography is a testament to modern pop excellence. But for the truly dedicated XO faithful, the magic isn’t always found on Spotify or Apple Music. It lives in the murky, low-bitrate MP3s uploaded to YouTube in 2011, the SoundCloud fragments, and the legendary "lost" tracks that never saw an official release.

The world of unreleased The Weeknd songs is vast, chaotic, and arguably contains some of his most experimental and heart-wrenching work. Sifting through the leaks can be daunting. Which tracks are worth your time? Which demos eclipse the finished album versions?

Here is the definitive guide to the best unreleased The Weeknd songs that define his hidden legacy.

Okay, technically this is a remix of Drake, but Abel completely stole the beat. While the official "Take Care" collab exists, the unreleased solo version of Trust Issues is legendary. Abel loops the hook, adds a verse about "popping pills and feeling different," and turns a Drake track into a Weeknd horror story. It’s the sonic equivalent of walking through a snowstorm alone at 3 AM.

The best unreleased The Weeknd songs do more than satisfy curiosity. They humanize a superstar who often feels mythic. Hearing a demo where Abel forgets a lyric and laughs, or an alternate version where the beat drops out to reveal just his lonely voice, reminds us that behind the red jacket and the bandaged face is a kid from Toronto who just wanted to make sad music for dark rooms.

From Birthday Suit to Hold Your Heart, these tracks form a parallel discography—messier, riskier, and often more rewarding than the polished hits. For the XO faithful, the vault isn’t a collection of mistakes. It’s a second album cycle.

So dive in. Search the forums, protect your ears from clickbait re-uploads, and discover the ghost tracks that made The Weeknd a legend before he even said a word on the radio.

The best unreleased The Weeknd songs are waiting. And they are unforgettable.

Do you have a favorite unreleased track we missed? Join the discussion on r/TheWeeknd and let the community know.

The cursor blinked on the screen, a steady heartbeat in the dead silence of the studio. Elias, a producer known more for his technical sterility than his soul, stared at the folder on his desktop.

It was simply labeled "XO_ARCHIVED."

He hadn’t stolen it. It was an inheritance, of sorts. A drive passed hand-to-hand through the industry, a digital version of a cursed object, until it landed with him. Inside were hundreds of gigabytes—raw vocal takes, discarded demos, fragments of songs that Abel Tesfaye had sung into a microphone and then, for reasons known only to him, decided the world was not ready to hear. unreleased the weeknd songs best

Elias had heard the hits. He knew the Grammy-winning polish of After Hours and the synth-pop sheen of Dawn FM. But this folder? This was the dirty laundry. This was the blood on the floor.

He double-clicked.

The first file was labeled "Gasoline (Demo 1)." Elias pressed play.

It wasn’t the retro, driving synth-wave he knew from the album. It was just a piano, slightly out of tune, and a voice that sounded like it was coming from the bottom of a well. The lyrics were different—darker. There was no falsetto here, only a ragged, chest-voice croak. Abel wasn't singing about being high; he was singing about being unable to come down. It was a terrifying, beautiful mess. Elias felt a shiver run up his spine. The released version was a song; this unreleased version was a confession.

Elias sat back, the leather chair creaking. He realized the industry rule: Perfection is a lie. The truth is in the outtakes.

He scrolled deeper. There was a track rumored to be from the Trilogy era that never saw the light of day. It was called "The Mourning."

He played it.

The song started with a sample of a distorted siren, looping endlessly. Then, a beat that sounded like a slow, heavy heartbeat. Abel’s voice was younger, rawer, untouched by the vocal training of the superstars. He wasn't using his signature "King of the Fall" bravado. He sounded small.

“I left the keys in the door / I don't want to drive anymore / The city is a vampire tonight / And I’m just the blood on the floor.”

Elias closed his eyes. Why was this "best"? Why did this unreleased track hit harder than the billions of streams on Spotify?

Because the released Weeknd is a character. It's a curated nightmare of drugs, women, and synthesizers. It’s a movie. But these songs—the ones locked in the vault—were the documentary. They lacked the safety net of a catchy hook. They were the sound of a man drowning without caring if anyone threw him a rope. For over a decade, Abel Tesfaye—better known as

For the next six hours, Elias listened.

He heard a collaboration with a legendary producer that had been scrapped because it was "too sad." He heard an acoustic version of a massive hit where the tempo was slowed down, turning a club anthem into a funeral dirge. He heard a song called "Best Friends / Worst Enemies" that was just a single take, no autotune, just the sound of a lighter flicking in the background and a voice cracking on a high note.

This was the "best" because it was the holy grail of fandom—the illusion of intimacy. Listening to After Hours made you feel like you were at the party. Listening to these unreleased tracks made you feel like you were the one cleaning up the vomit in the bathroom at 4 AM.

The sun began to bleed through the blackout curtains of the studio, casting a red glow over the mixing board. Elias’s eyes were burning.

He arrived at the final file. It was a video, not an audio track. The timestamp was from three years ago.

He opened it.

It was Abel, sitting on the floor of a hotel room. No entourage. No handlers. He looked tired—not the "cool tired" of a music video, but the hollowed-out exhaustion of a man who has seen

While The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye) has one of the most celebrated discographies in modern R&B, his "unreleased" catalog—consisting of leaked demos, reference tracks for other artists, and scrapped album sessions—is a treasure trove for fans. The Most Acclaimed Unreleased Tracks

Based on fan consensus from The Weeknd Reddit community and The Weeknd Wiki, these are widely considered the best unreleased songs:

"Enemy": Perhaps the most famous "unreleased" track, this moody, atmospheric song was recorded during the Trilogy era and performed live in 2012 [25, 27, 36].

"Take Me Back to LA": A synth-heavy track originally teased during a 2020 Instagram Live session. It has become a cult favorite for its upbeat yet melancholic "After Hours" vibe [21, 23]. Do you have a favorite unreleased track we missed

"For Your Eyes Only": Frequently cited as a top-tier track, this song captures the haunting, dark instrumental style of his early work [24, 27, 28].

"Heavenly Creatures": An experimental track known for its unique soundscapes, with multiple versions circulating among fans [21, 23, 29].

"Girls Born in the 90's": This is an early demo of what eventually became the hit "Acquainted" from Beauty Behind the Madness. Many fans prefer this original version for its more direct lyrics and structure [21, 23, 26].

"Hold Your Heart": A soulful, emotionally charged track that was highly anticipated for years before a version titled "The Abyss" appeared in later sessions [23, 25]. Demos and Reference Tracks

Abel has written and recorded demos for several other major artists. These "reference tracks" offer a glimpse into his creative process:

"Practice" & "Shot For Me": Demos recorded for Drake; the latter eventually appeared on Drake's Take Care [25].

"6 Inch": A demo recorded for Beyoncé, featuring a slightly different vibe than the final version on Lemonade [25]. "Woo": A reference track for Rihanna's ANTI album [25].

"Come Thru": A demo originally intended for Lil Wayne [25, 27]. Notable Projects & Eras

The Noise EP: A collection of early demos (like "Rescue You" and "Superhero") from before he officially became "The Weeknd," showcasing a more traditional pop-R&B sound [27, 28].

The "May 2016" Leaks: A famous batch of 11 tracks that leaked online in 2016, including "Wanna Feel You" and "Be God" [27, 30].