(AllHipHop News) Five years ago, a new R&B voice arrived on the music scene with the well received mixtape House Of Balloons. The Weeknd’s debut project is now considered groundbreaking material that influenced other acts such as Drake, Zayn, Justin Bieber, and Nick Jonas. The man born Abel Tesfaye spoke with Vogue about House Of Balloons.

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“Nothing sounded like what we were doing, because R&B was hard to listen to back then,” said The Weeknd. “The genre was dying.”

Since that time, Rhythm & Blues has seen a resurgence in the mainstream. New artists such as Bryson Tiller, Jhené Aiko, Tory Lanez, Kehlani, and Ty Dolla Sign have managed to break out as radio favorites and award nominees.

The Weeknd was by-far the biggest R&B (and arguably Pop) performer of 2015. His album Beauty Behind The Madness, reached platinum status. The LP spawned the hit singles “Earned It,” “The Hills,” “Can’t Feel My Face,” and “In The Night.”

The Canadian singer-songwriter is currently working on new tunes that could possibly be for a new album. While The Weeknd has already put a mark on the music being made at the moment, he still pays homage to the entertainers that inspired him. In particular, he showed love to the King Of Pop.

“He’s a part of my family,” added The Weeknd. “When I was born, that was the music my mother was listening to. Michael Jackson is a third parent to me.”