"Beauty Behind the Madness" is the second studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd. It was released on August 28, 2015, through XO and Republic Records. The album features guest appearances from Labrinth, Ed Sheeran, and Lana Del Rey. It was executive produced by the Weeknd, DaHeala, and Illangelo, with additional production from Kanye West, Stephan Moccio, Ben Billions, DannyBoyStyles, Max Martin, and Ali Payami, among others.
Five singles were released from "Beauty Behind the Madness," including two US Billboard Hot 100 number-one hits: "The Hills" and "Can't Feel My Face." The album also includes "Earned It," which served as the lead single from the soundtrack to "Fifty Shades of Grey" and received an Academy Award nomination. The album debuted at number one in several countries and became the Weeknd's first number-one album in the United States, earning 412,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. It was the tenth best-selling album of 2015 according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, with 1.5 million copies sold worldwide. At the 58th Annual Grammy Awards in 2016, the album won Best Urban Contemporary Album and was nominated for Album of the Year.
Prior to "Beauty Behind the Madness," the Weeknd was known for his dark R&B style, evident in his first three mixtapes released in 2011 and his debut studio album, "Kiss Land" (2013), which reached number two on the Billboard 200. Despite positive reviews, "Kiss Land" was considered a commercial underperformance. Following this, the Weeknd worked with Republic Records' head of urban A&R, Wendy Goldstein, who facilitated his collaboration with Ariana Grande and Swedish producer Max Martin on the single "Love Me Harder," released on September 30, 2014. The single reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the Weeknd's first top ten hit and shaping his approach to pop-influenced material for the new album.
The Weeknd and Max Martin began writing for "Beauty Behind the Madness" in fall 2014, producing the track "In the Night" with Ali Payami, Savan Kotecha, and Peter Svensson. Inspiration from modern disco-influenced tracks led to the creation of "Can't Feel My Face." During this period, the Weeknd also worked on the soundtrack for the film "Fifty Shades of Grey," producing "Earned It" with Stephan Moccio, DaHeala, and Belly in October 2014. Moccio additionally produced "Real Life" and "Angel," with some elements of "Real Life" derived from the 1954 jazz standard "Misty."
The Weeknd executive produced the album with Illangelo and DaHeala. Illangelo received production credits on seven of the 14 tracks, including "Dark Times" and "Prisoner," and provided finishing touches on the remainder. Labrinth arranged the track "Losers" prior to Illangelo's involvement. "Tell Your Friends" was produced by Kanye West, with Illangelo overseeing vocal recording and additional production. "The Hills" was recorded at the Weeknd's home studio, based on a demo produced by Emmanuel "Mano" Nickerson.
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