The Weeknd’s mass appeal is undeniable. While he once enticed fans with an aura of mystique and angsty, drug-fuelled lyricism, the Canadian melodist has since elevated into a global superstar. Commercially speaking, his stat block is enough to keep him in conversation with some of pop music’s greatest icons. Especially in the wake of his latest album After Hours, which has housed some of his biggest hits yet.
One such hit includes “Blinding Lights,” an eighties-inspired anthem that earned the Weeknd the most successful single of his career. In 2020, the track soared to new heights as Spotify’s most-streamed song and currently sits as the second-most streamed song (after Ed Sheeran’s “Shape Of You”) in the platform’s history. Currently sitting at 8X platinum with diamond soon to follow, it would appear that The Weeknd’s “Blinding Light” has now set yet another record.
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In a post shared by XO co-founder Amir “Cash” Esmailian, who also co-manages The Weeknd, he confirms that “Blinding Lights” has become the first solo song to spend eighty weeks on the Hot 100 charts — and don’t expect that number to slow down. At this moment, the song currently sits in the seventeenth position, an impressive accomplishment given that it was originally released in November of 2019. And to think, it didn’t even receive a whiff of Grammy appreciation.
Check out The Weeknd’s new milestone below, and sound off in the comments if you’ve been keeping “Blinding Lights” on steady rotation — if so, you’re surely not alone.