The Weeknd Signs to Universal Republic, Announces Mixtape Trilogy Reissue

BY Gregory AdamsPublished Sep 11, 2012

It's been almost a year since dark R&B auteur the Weeknd (aka Abel Tesfaye) announced plans to reissue his trilogy of mixtapes as one grand-scale release, and true to the Toronto artist's initial plan, the re-release will arrive before the end of 2012.

Shortly after Tesfaye tweeted, "fall tour, music videos, trilogy release with three bonus tracks. xo," this morning (September 11), it was announced that the developing pop star had signed on with Universal Republic to issue Trilogy November 13. As the self-explanatory title implies, it will collect the Weeknd's House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence mixtapes.

The announcement reads:

The joint venture between Republic Records and the Canada-based XO sees the Weeknd's vision preserved and magnified on a much larger scale. The XO initiative has grown from a small collective -- with roots based in the metropolitan streets of Toronto -- to a marquee business partner, and it will only evolve further within this structure.

A full tracklisting has yet to arrive, but "Wicked Games," which first appeared on his debut mixtape House of Balloons, is expected to be the first single. It's unclear what the bonus tracks are, or where they'll fit in on the collection.

While we're waiting for the physical counterpart to the initial freebie releases, be reminded that Tesfaye is starting up a run of tour dates next week, with scheduled Canadian show stops in Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Montreal. You can see the schedule here.

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