# My Dear Melancholy
**My Dear Melancholy,** (stylized with a trailing comma) is the first extended play by the Canadian singer the Weeknd, released on March 30, 2018 through XO, Republic Records, and [Universal Music Canada](https://www.edgepedia.org/universal-music-canada).[1](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2018/03/30/weeknd-releases-dear-melancholy/) • [2](https://www.roughtrade.com/en-us/product/the-weeknd/my-dear-melancholy-4zkopa) The six-track EP runs about 21 minutes and was issued with little advance notice, two years after the artist's chart-topping album *Starboy*.[3](https://music.apple.com/us/album/my-dear-melancholy/1363308558) • [4](https://open.spotify.com/album/3iVFKUpkS32p2YcLMA02u6) • [5](https://www.allmusic.com/album/MW0003168107)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Artist and release | First EP by the Weeknd, released March 30, 2018 via XO / Republic Records / Universal Music Canada[1](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2018/03/30/weeknd-releases-dear-melancholy/) • [2](https://www.roughtrade.com/en-us/product/the-weeknd/my-dear-melancholy-4zkopa) |
| Length | 6 songs; Apple Music lists 21 minutes, Spotify 21 minutes 51 seconds[3](https://music.apple.com/us/album/my-dear-melancholy/1363308558) • [4](https://open.spotify.com/album/3iVFKUpkS32p2YcLMA02u6) |
| Executive production | Frank Dukes and the Weeknd[1](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2018/03/30/weeknd-releases-dear-melancholy/) |
| Producers | Frank Dukes, DaHeala, Marz, Mike WiLL Made-It, Gesaffelstein, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, Skrillex, and Cirkut (co-producer of “Hurt You”)[1](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2018/03/30/weeknd-releases-dear-melancholy/) |
| UK chart peak | Number 3 on the Official Albums Chart; 3 weeks in the Top 10, 10 weeks in the Top 100[6](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/weeknd-my-dear-melancholy/) |
| Critical score | Metacritic 63 from 16 reviews, "generally favorable"[7](https://www.metacritic.com/music/my-dear-melancholy-ep/the-weeknd/critic-reviews) |
| Formats | Streaming, CD (Republic catalog 6758625), and a single-LP vinyl with an etched Side B[8](https://www.republicrecords.com/products/my-dear-melancholy-1lp) • [9](https://www.republicrecords.com/products/the-weeknd-my-dear-melancholy-cd) • [5](https://www.allmusic.com/album/MW0003168107) |
## Background and recording
The EP followed *[Starboy](https://www.edgepedia.org/starboy-album)*, the Weeknd's 2016 album, which debuted at number one, charted two Top 10 hits (the title track and "[I Feel It Coming](https://www.edgepedia.org/i-feel-it-coming)," both with [Daft Punk](https://www.edgepedia.org/daft-punk)), and won the Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album in January 2018.[10](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-weeknd-releases-new-album-my-dear-melancholy-629345/) *My Dear Melancholy,* arrived as a surprise: AllMusic describes it as "issued with little advance notice," and the label announced it the day of release.[5](https://www.allmusic.com/album/MW0003168107) • [1](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2018/03/30/weeknd-releases-dear-melancholy/)
**Executive production** was shared by the Weeknd and [Frank Dukes](https://www.edgepedia.org/frank-dukes) (Adam Feeney), with additional production from Daft Punk's Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, Skrillex, and Mike WiLL Made-It, among others.[10](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-weeknd-releases-new-album-my-dear-melancholy-629345/) AllMusic credits Abel Tesfaye (the Weeknd) as primary artist and composer alongside Frank Dukes, Ahmad Balshe (DaHeala), Jason Quenneville, Sonny Moore (Skrillex), [Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo](https://www.edgepedia.org/guy-manuel-de-homem-christo), Nicolas Jaar, and Mike Levy ([Gesaffelstein](https://www.edgepedia.org/gesaffelstein)).[5](https://www.allmusic.com/album/MW0003168107)
## Music and lyrics
The standard edition runs, in order: "Call Out My Name" (produced by Frank Dukes), "Try Me" (Mike WiLL Made-It, Marz, Frank Dukes, and DaHeala), "Wasted Times" (Frank Dukes, co-produced by Skrillex), "I Was Never There" (Gesaffelstein and Frank Dukes), "Hurt You" (Gesaffelstein and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, co-produced by Cirkut), and "Privilege" (Frank Dukes and DaHeala).[1](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2018/03/30/weeknd-releases-dear-melancholy/) Spotify lists individual lengths of 3:48 for "Call Out My Name," 3:41 for "Try Me," 3:40 for "Wasted Times," 4:01 for "I Was Never There," and 2:50 for "Privilege," and credits "I Was Never There" and "Hurt You" to the Weeknd with Gesaffelstein.[4](https://open.spotify.com/album/3iVFKUpkS32p2YcLMA02u6)
The record's subject is romantic anguish. AllMusic describes the EP as focused on heartbreak and self-medication, with a sound of "bleary R&B with beats that drag and lurch," apart from the "sly and sweet 2-step rhythm" on "Wasted Times."[5](https://www.allmusic.com/album/MW0003168107) Rolling Stone's review reads the lyrics as self-disgust verging on masochism, connecting sex and substance use to the pain of romantic sacrifice, and quotes the opener: "I said I didn't feel nothing baby, but I lied," followed by "I almost cut a piece of myself for your life."[11](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/review-the-weeknds-my-dear-melancholy-mixes-deep-gloom-and-tough-love-629429/)
**Return to the early sound.** Both Apple Music's editorial notes and Rolling Stone frame the EP as a return to the artist's darker origins: Apple Music calls it a return to his "unfiltered, art-house roots," with Gesaffelstein bringing "neon synths and fuzzy echoes" to the shadows, while Rolling Stone recalls the 2012 series of early EPs, describing "dark, high-def electro-soul."[3](https://music.apple.com/us/album/my-dear-melancholy/1363308558) • [11](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/review-the-weeknds-my-dear-melancholy-mixes-deep-gloom-and-tough-love-629429/) AllMusic notes that "Call Out My Name" resembles "Earned It."[5](https://www.allmusic.com/album/MW0003168107)
## Release and formats
The EP was released digitally on March 30, 2018, with a physical component scheduled for April 13, 2018.[1](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2018/03/30/weeknd-releases-dear-melancholy/) Streaming platforms carry the six-track set under ℗ 2018 The Weeknd XO, Inc., manufactured and marketed by [Republic Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/republic-records).[3](https://music.apple.com/us/album/my-dear-melancholy/1363308558) The CD edition carries the standard tracklist under Republic catalog number 6758625.[9](https://www.republicrecords.com/products/the-weeknd-my-dear-melancholy-cd) • [5](https://www.allmusic.com/album/MW0003168107) The vinyl edition is a single 12-inch LP on which [Side A](https://www.edgepedia.org/side-a) holds the six tracks and Side B carries etched artwork rather than audio.[8](https://www.republicrecords.com/products/my-dear-melancholy-1lp)
## Critical reception
Metacritic assigned the EP a score of 63 based on 16 critic reviews, categorized as generally favorable.[7](https://www.metacritic.com/music/my-dear-melancholy-ep/the-weeknd/critic-reviews) Rolling Stone's review called the record "a skin-and-bones collection of six songs" that uses "the fragility and grime of broken relationships" as a starting point for uncovering subtle textures in the Weeknd's sound.[11](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/review-the-weeknds-my-dear-melancholy-mixes-deep-gloom-and-tough-love-629429/)
Critics noted what the EP was not. Aggregated reviews observed the absence of blockbuster singles like "I Can't Feel My Face" or "Starboy," while finding the melodic directness and [Michael Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-jackson)-style vocalisms of those songs "buried under clouds of sad synthesizers and downcast beats."[7](https://www.metacritic.com/music/my-dear-melancholy-ep/the-weeknd/critic-reviews) The same aggregation recorded the judgment that the mini-album "doesn't break any new ground" and revisits elements of previous projects.[7](https://www.metacritic.com/music/my-dear-melancholy-ep/the-weeknd/critic-reviews)
## Commercial performance
In the United Kingdom, the EP peaked at number 3 on the Official Albums Chart, first charting on April 12, 2018 under Republic Records/XO (catalog number 6758625). It spent 3 weeks in the Top 10 and 10 weeks in the Top 100.[6](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/weeknd-my-dear-melancholy/)
## Place in the Weeknd's discography
*My Dear Melancholy,* is identified by the retailer Rough Trade as the Weeknd's first extended play.[2](https://www.roughtrade.com/en-us/product/the-weeknd/my-dear-melancholy-4zkopa) Its position is defined by contrast: *Starboy* had been built around chart singles with Daft Punk, while the EP strips back to six songs of gloom in the manner of his 2012 early EPs.[10](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-weeknd-releases-new-album-my-dear-melancholy-629345/) • [11](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/review-the-weeknds-my-dear-melancholy-mixes-deep-gloom-and-tough-love-629429/) Rolling Stone's review described the record as "slight, a skin-and-bones collection of six songs" and noted that it recalls his 2012 series of early EPs.[11](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/review-the-weeknds-my-dear-melancholy-mixes-deep-gloom-and-tough-love-629429/)
## References
1. [The Weeknd Releases My Dear Melancholy, — Universal Music Canada](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2018/03/30/weeknd-releases-dear-melancholy/)
2. [The Weeknd - My Dear Melancholy on 12" | Rough Trade](https://www.roughtrade.com/en-us/product/the-weeknd/my-dear-melancholy-4zkopa)
3. [My Dear Melancholy, — Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/album/my-dear-melancholy/1363308558)
4. [My Dear Melancholy, — Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/album/3iVFKUpkS32p2YcLMA02u6)
5. [The Weeknd: My Dear Melancholy, Tracks & Reviews — AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/MW0003168107)
6. [MY DEAR MELANCHOLY – WEEKND | Official Charts](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/weeknd-my-dear-melancholy/)
7. [My Dear Melancholy, [EP] — Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/music/my-dear-melancholy-ep/the-weeknd/critic-reviews)
8. [MY DEAR MELANCHOLY (1LP) — Republic Records Official Store](https://www.republicrecords.com/products/my-dear-melancholy-1lp)
9. [MY DEAR MELANCHOLY CD — Republic Records Official Store](https://www.republicrecords.com/products/the-weeknd-my-dear-melancholy-cd)
10. [The Weeknd Releases New Album 'My Dear Melancholy' — Rolling Stone](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-weeknd-releases-new-album-my-dear-melancholy-629345/)
11. [Review: The Weeknd's 'My Dear Melancholy,' Mixes Deep Gloom and Tough Love — Rolling Stone](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/review-the-weeknds-my-dear-melancholy-mixes-deep-gloom-and-tough-love-629429/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Albums and recorded releases › EPs, mixtapes, and short-form releases › Pop, rock, and other EPs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license