"Twenty Eight" is a song by the Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd, featured as a bonus track on the version of his debut mixtape House of Balloons (2011). It was released as the album's second single on November 13, 2012 by XO and Republic Records.[3] The song only appears on the reissue of the mixtape that is included with
his 2012 compilation album, Trilogy.[4] The song was recorded at Site Sound Studios and mixed at Liberty Studios in Toronto.[1] Producers Doc McKinney and Illangelo co-wrote the song and performed all instrumentation.[1]
Many early songs by Tesfaye are about him tricking, manipulating and cheating on his girlfriends, but in "Twenty Eight" the roles are reversed.[5] The song is named "Twenty Eight" due to there being 28 grams in an ounce, which is something important for drug dealers to know. The song is also the twenty eighth official release by Tesfaye.[6] The song as a whole has been compared to Frank Ocean and Miguel, while Tesfaye's vocals specifically have been compared to Michael Jackson.[5][7]
"Twenty Eight" was first heard by the general public when Tesfaye sent the track to DJZane Lowe, who in turn played the song on BBC Radio 1.[8][9] Tesfaye would make his first appearance on the show for an interview later that month.[9][10] The song charted at number 150 on the UK Singles Chart[11] and at number 49 on the US R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales,[12] and is also certified Platinum in the US.
Music video
The music video for "Twenty Eight" premiered on February 13, 2013, on the Weeknd's YouTube account. It was filmed in Bucharest, Romania, and was directed by photographer/director Nabil Elderkin.[13] The video features Tesfaye on a talk show, with him being unable to focus due to seeing visions of his ex girlfriend. The video is incredibly sexual, featuring many nude women/strippers.[14] Due to the explicit portrayal of breasts in the video, it has been age-restricted on YouTube.[15]
