The Weeknd Ties Michael Jackson’s “Billboard” Record

The Weeknd has tied Michael Jackson’s Billboard record for having multiple No. 1 hits that stem from three separate albums. According to the outlet, Michael Jackson earned multiple No. 1 hits on his albums Off The Wall in 1979, Thriller in 1982, and Bad in 1987. The Weeknd has now achieved multiple No. 1 hits on 2015’s Beauty Behind The Madness, 2016’s Starboy, and 2020’s After Hours.

The Weeknd earned his seventh No. 1 on Monday after he and Ariana Grande’s duet “Die For You” jumped to the top of the Hot 100 chart. The song is featured on The Weeknd’s album, Starboy. The Weeknd reacted to achieving the feat on Instagram, Tuesday, sharing the news with a star emoji in the caption.

The Weeknd & Ariana Grande

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 27: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) (EDITORS NOTE: This image has been retouched) (L-R) In this image released on May 27, The Weeknd and Ariana Grande perform onstage at the 2021 iHeartRadio Music Awards at The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California, which was broadcast live on FOX on May 27, 2021. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)

The new feat is far from the first historic Billboard accomplishment The Weeknd has achieved. With the release of Dawn FM, he earned 24 songs on the Global 200 chart, six of them coming from the album. Those included “Sacrifice,” “Take My Breath,” “Gasoline,” “Out of Time,” as well as “Is There Someone Else?” and “How Do I Make You Love Me?.” It was the first time a male artist had ever done so. Kanye West and Drake have both come close, however, with 23 and 22, respectively. The Weeknd has also broken the all-time record for most monthly global listeners among all artists on Spotify.

The Weeknd was even compared to Michael Jackson by Timbaland in 2022, following the release of Dawn FM. “Yo… this album different y’all. This shit right here, this on some Thriller shit,” the iconic producer said at the time on social media. “Trust me when I tell you. And the way he dropped this shit, yo. Congrats, this shit is amazing.” The video went viral with people arguing both sides of the opinion.

The Weeknd’s Response

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