Despite releasing during the current coronavirus pandemic, The Weeknd’s newest album, After Hours, has been a huge success.
The artist originally scheduled a March 20th release for the album long before the virus had made its way to the U.S., but decided to stick to that original release date when things escalated.
Many fans were concerned that the outbreak and ensuing social distancing regulations would negatively impact the album’s release, with live appearances being cancelled and other artists postponing their own releases.
It turns out, his decision was the right one as the album has passed 100 billion streams in its first week, with 100 million streams happening on the same day it released. At one point, songs from the album were the Top 12 Songs on the Apple Music Top 100.
And now it has become his fourth #1 album, which the artist has admitted to be amazed by:
“When I started making this album, I never imagined it would be released as we face a worldwide pandemic. I always felt that music helped me in hard times and I hope that this body of work can do the same for others.”
He even went on to praise those who are helping those in need during the pandemic, calling them “the real heroes”. He praises the healthcare workers, grocery store workers, delivery people, first responders, and everyone else who is working out there while social distancing is being practiced.
It was a gamble for the artist to release this album right now, but by sticking to his gut, he has ended up coming out on top.
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