Canadian artist The Weeknd is shaping up to be this decade’s most influential musician, coming through with two era-defining albums in the last two years, After Hours and Dawn FM. Re-popularizing the sounds of the eighties and giving them a modern twist, the iconic artist kicked off this year with the release of his new studio album, Dawn FM, which includes features from Lil Wayne, Tyler, The Creator, Quincy Jones, Jim Carrey, and more. The album has earned comparisons to some of the greatest bodies of work ever, including Michael Jackson’s Thriller, and now we’re learning how impactful the dawn will be numbers-wise.
With “Sacrifice” and other songs being prepped for major radio pushes in the coming weeks, the first-week sales numbers for The Weeknd’s new album Dawn FM have arrived. As of Monday (January 10), it was being reported that Dawn FM will move approximately 150,000 to 170,000 copies in its first week out. The Weeknd opted not to ship any physical copies out, which will limit his pure sales. However, the artist previously stated that he is not concerned with his first-week sales, and will take the hit because right now, he simply wants to bless the world with music to help us through this tough time.
Time will tell if this is enough for The Weeknd to secure the #1 position on the charts. We are still waiting for projections for Gunna’s new album DS4EVER, which has also been performing well throughout the weekend.
What do you think of The Weeknd’s first-week numbers?