Very few music fans could have predicted The Weeknd’s transformation into one of the world’s biggest pop stars when they first heard him in the early 2010s.
Not even the most diehard Weeknd fans could have imagined him to be in the position he is now – with four straight number one albums, a bunch of multi-platinum plaques, and six number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100.
Born and raised in Toronto, The Weeknd has been building his music career since 2009 when he began releasing music on YouTube. Then in 2011, under his newly-founded XO record label, the Canadian singer-songwriter dropped three now-classic mixtapes House of Balloons , Thursday and Echoes of Silence , and put himself on the map.
While he was burgeoning indie darling, and through his affiliation with Drake, had a strong fanbase in the hip hop world, it wasn’t until 2015 when he released his sophomore album, Beauty Behind the Madness , that The Weeknd emerged as a global superstar.
From his 2013 debut album, Kiss Land , to his latest release, 2022’s Dawn FM , here are the rankings for The Weeknd’s first week album sales numbers.
Kiss Land – first week album sales
Released: September 10, 2013
Label: XO, Republic
First week album sales: 95,000
Billboard 200 position: 2
Singles: “Kiss Land”, “Belong to the World”, “Love in the Sky”, “Live For”, “Pretty”, “Wanderlust”
Features: Drake
Dawn FM – first week album sales
Released: January 7, 2022
Label: XO, Republic
First week album sales: 148,000
Billboard 200 position: 2
Singles: “Take My Breath”, “Sacrifice”, “Out of Time”
Features: Jim Carrey, Tyler, the Creator, Lil Wayne, Quincy Jones, Josh Safdie.
My Dear Melancholy – first week album sales
Released: March 30, 2018
Label: XO, Republic
First week album sales: 169,000
Billboard 200 position: 1
Singles: “Call Out My Name”
Features: Gesaffelstein.
Starboy – first week album sales
Released: November 25, 2016
Label: XO, Republic
First week album sales: 348,000
Billboard 200 position: 1
Singles: “Starboy”, “I Feel It Coming”, “Party Monster”, “Reminder”, “Rockin'”, “Die for You”, “Secrets”
Features: Daft Punk, Lana Del Rey, Kendrick Lamar, and Future
Beauty Behind the Madness – first week album sales
Released: August 28, 2015
Label: XO, Republic
First week album sales: 412,000
Billboard 200 position: 1
Singles: “Often”, “The Hills”, “Can’t Feel My Face”, “In the Night”, “Acquainted”
Features: Labrinth, Ed Sheeran and Lana Del Rey.
After Hours – first week album sales
Released: March 20, 2020
Label: XO, Republic
First week album sales: 444,000
Billboard 200 position: 1
Singles: “Heartless”, “Blinding Lights”, “In Your Eyes”, “Save Your Tears”
Features: N/A
