Drake tried to make his new album more upbeat.

The 'Hold On We're Going Home' rapper admits his last album, 2011's 'Take Care', was more dark and ballad-led so he was determined to produce more club-friendly beats for his third studio record, 'Nothing Was The Same'.

He told E! News: ''It's emotional, but I think I also found a balance in the production--as far as not to make it so down.

''I feel like 'Take Care' had real ballads, real down moments, and I feel like on this album, I try to push everything together to make it strong. It's great. It's one of my favorite pieces. It's concise. I'm really proud of the writing on there. And [producer] 40 [Noah Shebib] outworked me on the production, he's amazing. It's good, I'm excited.''

It appears the 26-year-old rapper's latest works are a big hit with his fellow musicians as 'Roar' hitmaker Katy Perry recently lauded his new single with high praise.

She said: ''Who doesn't love Drake? Drake is so sensitive but yet still so cool. It's a very hard balance to find sometimes - emotional guys that are sensitive but strong, and Drake is definitely that kind of guy.

''And he really hit home on this next one called 'Hold On'. I think it's beautiful. It sounds a little bit like kind of old vibey Lionel Richie [or] The Weeknd. It's sexy as hell. I listen to it with my boyfriend, so I would suggest listening to it with whoever you wanna make out with.''