He has a slew of No. 1 songs and albums under his belt and has stormed stages while performing in front of sold-out arenas worldwide. However, if you ask The Weeknd, co-writing and starring in American Dad! is one of his greatest accomplishments. The singer recently shared his After Hours project, an album that has been sitting atop charts since its release weeks ago. This evening (May 4), The Weeknd's episode of Seth McFarlane's long-running animated series finally aired, and it included a performance of a satirical song titled "I'm a Virgin."
View this post on InstagramWe hate to admit it, but the song is a little bit of a bop. Meanwhile, in a recent interview with Variety, The Weeknd spoke about how his collaboration with American Dad! came to be. “I’m a longtime fan of the show,” the award-winning singer said. “I always wanted to play a character that was the opposite of the public’s perception of me—and of course make fun of myself. Once I was given the opportunity I took complete advantage."
"Joel Hurwitz believed in the vision and he helped execute it beautifully," The Weeknd added. Just in case you missed it, we included a clip from the show below. Check it out.
The Weeknd Gives Sneak Peek At "American Dad!" Episode
The Weeknd recently shared that he’d co-written an episode of “American Dad!” and now he’s giving the world the first look.
If you thought The Weeknd was finished with his After Hours takeover, you’re highly mistaken. Next week, The Weeknd is set to appear on American Dad!, albeit as his animated self. American Dad! entered its 16th season earlier this month, and on May 4—yes, May the Fourth be with you—The Weeknd will star in an episode of the long-running series that he reportedly co-wrote with Joel Hurwitz.
The acclaimed singer gave fans a sneak peek at his episode by sharing a photo on social media. The Weeknd has been hinting about his American Dad! appearance throughout the month of April. On the 2nd, he wrote, “Me and this guy wrote an episode of American Dad. also gonna play myself… kinda. MAY 4th ! (Photo was taken a while ago… STAY HOME).”
Pitchfork also reports that aside from The Weeknd becoming a cartoon version of himself for Seth MacFarlane’s hit show, fans are expected to receive a treat, as well. The Weeknd will reportedly debut a new track on the series, however, it’s unclear what the song will be. It hasn’t been specified whether or not it’s a song from his No. 1 album After Hours, but we’ll just have to tune in to see.
The Weeknd Reigns After Drake "Toosie Slide" Slides On Charts
The Weeknd “Blinding Lights” is back on top after Drake “Toosie Slide” drops down to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Once again, The Weeknd is a double champion, standing tall at #1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard 200.
Drake made a huge splash on the Billboard Hot 100 with the release of “Toosie Slide,” his brand new dance single that has absolutely taken over on social media. While the buzz was large enough to remain within the Top Five in its second week out, The Weeknd regains his position at the top with “Blinding Lights.”
“Wow! back on top + number 1 album for a whole month? Going to really cherish this moment,” said The Weeknd on Instagram.
In addition to his hit single being crowned the week’s most popular song again, his album After Hours has been at the top of the charts for an entire month. Ironically, he becomes the first artist since Drake to notch four consecutive weeks at #1 with Scorpion.
“Big shout out to the fans. Can’t wait to see you all once we get through these bizarre times,” continues the artist.
Drake’s “Toosie Slide” clocks in at the second position while Roddy Ricch keeps his momentum high at #3. Dua Lipa and Doja Cat round out the Top Five with appearances from Harry Styles, Post Malone, and others in the top ten spots.
Are you surprised to see The Weeknd back on top?
Tory Lanez & The Weeknd Dueling For This Week’s #1 Album
Whether it’s The Weeknd or Tory Lanez who secures the number one spot, the real winner is the city of Toronto.
At this rate, it’s impossible to have missed out on Tory Lanez‘s ongoing Instagram Live series Quarantine Radio, which has become something of an antics-fueled phenomenon of late. Raking in massive audiences due to its hilarious mix of twerking, playfully obnoxious commentary, and inevitable celebrity cameos, it’s no wonder Lanez has used the opportunity as a means to promote his brand new album The New Toronto 3.
And what a tactic it was, manifesting into an impressive first-week tally ranging from between 60k-70k in album-equivalent units, a number that could grow as the stats fluctuate. In any other week, such a strong release would have surely clinched the number one spot on the Billboard charts — enter The Weeknd, whose recent After Hours project continues to build momentum and threaten any claimant daring to come for its throne.
Even though Tory has proven himself to be one of the quarantine’s biggest MVP’s, it would appear the enduring mystique of his fellow Torontonian remains formidable even weeks removed from his initial release. And while it’s not all about landing at number one, it would certainly be nice to see Lanez secure his first-ever top placement, especially after he’s been carrying things on his back amidst this seemingly endless quarantine state. One thing is for sure, however — no matter how you spin it, the real winner here is the city of Toronto.
Usher Responds To The Weeknd By Launching Singing #ClimaxChallenge
Usher & The Weeknd because topics of conversation after the Canadian singer said he was “flattered” the R&B icon mirrored his music.
Fans were curious as to whether or not Usher would issue a response to The Weeknd‘s recent remarks. The After Hours hitmaker is the cover star for Variety‘s latest issue. Inside, The Weeknd talked about his latest album and the rise of his career that began after he made waves with his 2011 mixtape, House of Balloons. One year later, Usher shared his single “Climax,” a track that The Weeknd says mirrored his talents.
Theo Wargo / Staff / Getty Images“I heard ‘Climax,’ that Usher song, and was like, ‘Holy f—, that’s a Weeknd song‘” he told the publication. “It was very flattering, and I knew I was doing something right, but I also got angry. But the older I got, I realized it’s a good thing.” That was a bold statement to make about the R&B veteran and fans were divided while discussing The Weeknd’s comments.
Instead of clapping back, Usher decided to kick off a “#ClimaxChallenge.” The singer took to his Instagram Story to share a video of himself singing his track while also highlighting other vocalists who wanted to give their take on his sexy single. Not everyone could hit those high notes like the R&B icon, but they did their best. Check out a clip of Usher along with the music video for “Climax” below. Let us know if you think Usher was a tad influenced by The Weeknd for this one.
The Weeknd Opens Up About The Darkest Song On "After Hours"
On “After Hours,” The Weeknd looked back on his self-described “rockstar” period for inspiration, taking himself to a dark place in the process.
Despite being a global superstar who has experienced his fair share of high-profile romances, The Weeknd has somehow managed to retain his enigmatic mystique. Even amidst the times of personal crisis, which often go on to be explored within his music, the Torontonian has largely moved under the radar, keeping his hopes and fears close to the chest. Following the release of his recent After Hours album, however, The Weeknd connected with Vanity Fair for a wide-ranging and honest reflection on some of his recent songwriting choices.
Isaac Brekken/Getty Images
As he tells it, the lengthy “Faith” was inspired by what he describes to be the “darkest period of his life.” Looking back to the early years of his career, circa 2013-2014, Weeknd admits to having been on a risky path. “I was getting really, really tossed up and going through a lot of personal stuff. I got arrested in Vegas [for punching a police officer]” he tells the publication. “It was a real rock-star era, which I’m not really proud of. You hear sirens at the end the song — that’s me in the back of the cop car, that moment.”
“I always wanted to make that song but I never did, and this album felt like the perfect time,” he continues, explaining that he allowed himself to bleed his own life into the character he created for the album. “[He’s] looking for an escape after a heartbreak or whatever. I wanted to be that guy again — the ‘Heartless’ guy who hates God and is losing his fucking religion and hating what he looks like in the mirror so he keeps getting high. That’s who this song is.”
For much more from The Weeknd, be sure to check out the full conversation over at Vanity Fair. In the meantime, go run those After Hours numbers up, and give “Faith” a re-listen; it might resonate a little more following this new development.
The Weeknd Spoils PARTYNEXTDOOR & Joyner Lucas Debuts
The Weeknd “After Hours” spends another week at the top of the Billboard 200 as PARTYNEXTDOOR and Joyner Lucas both enjoy successful first weeks.
For the second consecutive week, The Weeknd has been crowned atop the Billboard 200.
The Toronto native recently released his new album After Hours, which opens the latest chapter in Abel Tesfaye’s creative career. With a highly-stylized theme and an overall aesthetic that kept us enthralled, the body of work has been successful for the XO Records honcho. With another 135,000 sales units counted in its second week out, After Hours was the most-consumed musical project of the week, clocking in ahead of the debuts.
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty ImagesAs reported by Hits Daily Double, 5 Seconds Of Summer and Lil Uzi Vert close out the top three spots, with Dua Lipa and Pearl Jam following closely behind. At the sixth position is PARTYNEXTDOOR, whose new project PARTYMOBILE sold approximately 52,000 equivalent album units. With features from Drake and Rihanna, would you consider that a win for the OVO Sound artist?
Lil Baby and Bad Bunny keep up their solid numbers before Joyner Lucas arrives at the ninth tally with around 38,000 sales on ADHD. After so much hype and so many delays, is that a good number for the lyricist?
Paras Griffin/Getty ImagesSome of the perpetual chart darlings, like Roddy Ricch and Post Malone, appear just after Joyner Lucas.
What was your favorite new release of the week? Let us know in the comments.
The Weeknd "After Hours" Debuts At #1 With Highest Sales Of The Year
The Weeknd experiences the highest first-week sales figures of the year, moving 444,000 equivalent album units with “After Hours.”
The Weeknd has officially broken his previous personal best, moving 444,000 equivalent album units with After Hours in its first week, which is enough to claim the top spot on the Billboard 200.
According to Billboard, this is the fourth time that The Weeknd has managed to snag the first position on the chart. With such astounding numbers from the Canadian singer, it marks an even greater accomplishment that After Hours would still have been No. 1 if it hadn’t sold a single physical or digital copy. With such high streaming numbers, The Weeknd still beat out Lil Uzi Vert‘s Eternal Atake, which now sits at the second spot with 115,000 units.
Joshua Blanchard/Getty ImagesThis is the most impressive sales week for any artist this year, moving more copies than BTS did with their chart-topper Map of the Soul: 7. Elsewhere on the chart, Lil Baby has moved down to No. 3, Bad Bunny dips to No. 4, and Conan Grey debuts at No. 5.
The Weeknd released a triplet of new songs to complement the After Hours album, sharing them with fans this morning. That will surely help to bolster another strong week from Abel Tesfaye, despite album releases by PARTYNEXTDOOR, Jeezy, and others.
What did you think of After Hours? Did it live up to the hype?
The Weeknd Releases Three New Bonus Tracks
The Weeknd treats fans to three new songs on “After Hours” deluxe edition.
As the weekend hit (that one), The Weeknd was teasing us about the possibility of even more new music. The r’n’b singer had only just given us the deluxe edition of After Hours which contained several new records, including a remix with Lil Uzi Vert. He’s not done yet, though, returning today with three more new songs to add to the ever-growing deluxe edition.
The three songs are sidled into the tracklist at #15, #16, #17, starting off with “Nothing Compares,” before moving into “Missed You” and closing out the trio of new songs with “Final Lullaby.” The latter begins lullaby-esque before growing into something a bit more agonizing, as though someone is trying and trying to fall asleep but growing more and more unsettled.
You can check out the three songs on the newly-updated deluxe edition of the album tracklist below. Let us know what you think of the three new records.
Worthy additions to the tracklist? Or unnecessary?
In related news, The Weeknd‘s album is debuting strong. The album’s already expected to be one of the biggest releases of 2020 thus far. It’s moved 444,000 equivalent album units in the opening week, with 275,000 consisting of pure album sales.
Let us know if you’re fan of the new album.
PARTYNEXTDOOR & Ari Lennox Lead The Way On This Week’s "R&B Season" Playlist
PARTYNEXTDOOR, Ari Lennox, and more come in hot on this week’s “R&B Season Playlist,” our specially curated picks of today’s hottest R&B offerings.
PARTYNEXTDOOR’s release of the highly anticipated PARTYMOBILE, along with Ari Lennox’s remix EP of some of the best tracks off her debut album, Shea Butter Baby, gave us plenty to choose from for this week’s “R&B Season” playlist. For a few months now, HNHH has been curating the carefully crafted “R&B Season” playlist on Spotify in order to keep you updated on the most fire R&B joints out right now, and this week, boy do we have some good picks for you. Leading the way is PND with some of the highlights off his freshly dropped album, PARTYMOBILE. “SAVAGE ANTHEM,” “EYE ON IT,” and “NOTHING LESS” all made the cut, and they’re certainly among good company. Ari Lennox blessed us with remixes of three tracks off her wildly successful 2019 debut album, Shea Butter Baby, all three of which are sitting pretty on “R&B Season.” The talented artist tapped Doja Cat to contribute her raspy flow and vocal stylings to “BMO,” and got Smino to put his spin on “I Been” along with up-and-comer Durand Bernarr for “Facetime.”
We also threw a fire track off The Weeknd‘s record-breaking masterpiece, After Hours, into the mix, following the release of the album’s deluxe edition this past week. Another project that’s been making waves is Childish Gambino/Donald Glover’s cryptically teased, 3.15.20, which he officially dropped last Sunday. A majorly R&B-infused track off the album is “12.38,” which you’ll be sure to find among our picks on “R&B Season.” Finally, we’ve also included Alina Baraz’s latest single, “More Than Enough,” for your listening pleasure. Check out our updated “R&B Season” playlist on Spotify and be sure to follow our other specially curated playlists below.
Follow our freshly-updated Wake & Bake playlist here.
Follow our G.O.O.D. Music playlist (for a GOOD ASS FRIDAY) here.
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