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The Weeknd’s “After Hours” First Week Sales Projections Are In

Abel is looking at one of the biggest albums of the year.

In the midst of this global pandemic, The Weeknd decided to come through the other day and release his highly anticipated album After Hours, which looks to be on its way to being the #1 album in the country.

According to Hits Double Daily, After Hours is on track to move more than 400,000 album equivalent units in its first week. Of those units, more than 200,000 are expected to come from traditional album sales. If these projections hold true, After Hours could very well be the biggest debut of 2020, surpassing BTS' Map of the Soul: 7, which earned 422,000 units in its first week.

In comparison, The Weeknd’s last album, Starboy, moved 348k copies in the first week, meanwhile Beauty Behind The Madness sold 412K units in 2015. So Able looks to be right on track with what he’s done in the past, and even more than what he did on his last album.

In addition, After Hours garnered 100 million global streams on day one, occupied the top 12 slots on the Apple Music Global 100 chart, and claimed 14 of the top 15 spots on Spotify's U.S. chart. So it’s another smash home run for Abel.

Stream After Hours right here if you haven't already.

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Lil Uzi Vert May Surpass Eminem’s First Week Sales In 2020

The first week sales projections for Lil Uzi Vert, Jhene Aiko and Megan Thee Stallion are in!

What an absolutely bonkers week for music releases. While it's exciting for us listeners who get to consume a variety of new tunes, the artists that dropped projects might be feeling a tad competitive. On our radar, we have Lil Uzi Vert's Eternal Atake, Megan Thee Stallion's Suga and Jhene Aiko's Chilombo to consider. 

This week saw two major projects' release dates being announced on short notice, a move that could either be risky or favourable in terms of album sales. Amid a highly-publicized legal dispute with her record label, Megan Thee Stallion revealed on Wednesday (Mar. 4) that her debut album, Suga, would be arriving on Friday. According to Hits Daily Double, Suga is projected to move 35-40k album-equivalent units, which would mark Meg's biggest debut to date.

Jhene Aiko had a high chance of securing a No. 1 album before Uzi swept in with the surprise release of his long-awaited sophomore album. Chilombo is projected to pull in 95-120k album-equivalent units, which could have beat out the K-pop group NCT 127's Neo Zone - The 2nd Album (70-80k). However, Eternal Atake is heading for 275-325k, which is a wildly impressive debut when you consider that he announced the project would be releasing that day mere minutes before it appeared on streaming services. With these numbers, Uzi looks like a safe bet to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. 

Uzi's sales aren't just huge in the context of this week, but also when you consider album performances in 2020 so far. Eternal Atake may surpass Eminem's Music To Be Murdered By, which currently holds the title for second-biggest debut week of the year with 279k equivalent units (BTS' Map of the Soul: 7 sits at No. 1 with 422k). If Uzi lands in the upper region of his estimated range, he could achieve a major milestone in his career and potentially send a message about album promotion tactics. 

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Lil Baby Scores First No. 1 Album With Huge First Week Sales

Lil Baby's "My Turn" tops the Billboard 200 this week.

Earlier this week, Lil Baby's sophomore album, My Turn, was projected to do huge debut numbers. Hits Daily Double predicted its first week sales to fall somewhere in the 170-190k range. The results are in and Lil Baby smashed it, landing in the higher end of this estimation. 

According to Hits Daily Double, My Turn pulled off 188,165 album-equivalent units, 6,626 of those coming from pure album sales. These sales secure Lil Baby his first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart. His previous project, 2018's Street Gossip, debuted at No. 2 with 88,000 album-equivalent units, consisting of 5,000 pure album sales. My Turn's success was spearheaded by the singles "Woah", "Catch The Sun" and "Sum 2 Prove". Aside from Lil Baby being one of today's most beloved rappers, these huge first week numbers could be partially attributed to the album's 20-song length, which allows it to rake in streams. 

My Turn beat out Bad Bunny's YHLWMDLG for the top spot, which also enjoyed an impressive debut week of 160,885 album-equivalent sales (29,287 from pure album sales). This week, NBA Youngboy's Still Flexin Still Steppin, which released last week, drops from No. 2 to No. 10, while G Herbo's PTSD holds on firmly to the No. 7 spot. 

Read our review of Lil Baby's My Turnhere.