The Weeknd has become the No.1 global artist on Spotify on Saturday, amassing over 86 million monthly listeners on the digital music platform.
The feat comes after the Weeknd released his fifth studio album Dawn FM, a follow-up to 2020’s After Hours, on January 7. Following its release, the album dominated the Spotify charts as the top album around the globe and in the U.S.
The album also set a new record on the Billboard Global 200 chart – charting 24 songs, the most ever by a solo male artist.
The compilation The Highlights also occupied the Billboard Chart Top 10 at No.6, alongside Dawn FM, earning The Weeknd a rare two albums in the top 10.
Dawn FM continues to top charts worldwide despite no physical product being available. The album debuted No.1 on Apple Music US and in 125 countries as well as No.1 on Spotify US & globally. Its cumulative streams have surpassed over 500 million to date. Adding to the laurels, the single “Sacrifice” debuted at No.1 on Spotify US & global and is charting in over 130 countries on Apple Music.
The new album also sees The Weeknd reach a new critical high watermark. It registered his highest aggregate score on Metacritic at “89.” Among high praise, Variety raved, “After Hours has resonated for nearly two years after its release, and in the face of another phase of a daunting pandemic, it seems that Dawn FM – possibly The Weeknd’s best and most fully realized album to date – will help carry fans through this one as well.”
Rating it “4-out-of-5 stars,” Rolling Stone attested, “The Weeknd focuses those interstellar ambitions to anoint us with the most enchanting music to the portal through purgatory.” The New York Times hailed it as “sleek and vigorous,” and in a rare “8.0-out-of-10.0” review, Pitchfork attested, “Abel Tesfaye’s fifth album is the most thoughtful, melodic, and revealing project of his career.” Esquire summed it up best as “2022’s Album to Beat.”