Congratulations are in order for The Weeknd as he walks into the new year with another huge milestone under his belt. According to Spotify, The Weeknd has surpassed 500 million streams on its platform in 2022 alone.
Spotify reported the Canadian star locked in 426 million streams off d awn FM in its debut week. Dawn FM debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with 154,000 album-equivalent units. In total, he is currently locked in at 705 million streams as of Saturday (Jan. 15). He leads the pack over artists like Taylor Swift, BTS, and Bad Bunny, who trail close behind.
The highly anticipated dawn FM, deemed a “sonic experience” by The Weeknd, showcases a unique cast of features from Tyler, the Creator, Lil Wayne, Quincy Jones, Oneohtrix Point Never, and Jim Carrey. Since then, he has kept the the momentum rolling in expert fashion as he unleashed visual after visual from the project. First came, “Sacrifice,” then next up were follow ups like “Gasoline,” “Take My Breath (Remix)” and “Sacrifice (Remix)” featuring Swedish House Mafia.
Of course, he has his strong, previously released bodies of work to thank as well. After Hours was released during the first quarter of 2020, and originally saw 14 tracks with a slew of matching visuals, all of which depicted The Weeknd as a character inspired by films like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Joker, and Casino. The project also produced a few special editions, adding on remixes and collaborations with the likes of Lil Uzi Vert, Doja Cat, Chromatics, and Oneohtrix Point Never. After Hours became one of the most commercial successful albums of 2020, landing The Weeknd at the top of the Billboard 200, UK’s Official Albums, and several other charts around the world — the project is certified double platinum in the U.S. alone.