A Timeline of The Weeknd's Career, From Drake's Co-Sign to 'After Hours' Domination
The Weeknd's Major Career Moments
The Weeknd has come a long way since his Hot 100 debut alongside Drake in 2012. See all the moments that led up to the monster debut of his latest album, After Hours.
April 2012
The Weeknd makes his debut on the Billboard Hot 100 by assisting his fellow Canadian countryman Drake on “Crew Love.” The song, from Drizzy’s Take Care album, starts in the anchor slot – No. 100 this month. In November, The Weeknd scores his first Hot 100 hit as a lead with “Wicked Games.”
November 2012
The singer-songwriter captures his first Billboard 200 success as Trilogy debuts at No. 4. The compilation album combines three popular mixtapes – Echoes of Silence, House of Balloons and Thursday – with a few new cuts and logs 197 weeks on the chart.
November 2014
The world at large gets a first taste of The Weeknd’s pop prowess as he links up with Ariana Grande for the duet “Love Me Harder.” The collab, the fourth single from Grande’s My Everything, becomes his first top 10 Hot 100 hit as it climbs to No. 7 in this month.
December 2014
The Weeknd lends his talents to the hotly anticipated film Fifty Shades of Grey and its soundtrack with the single, “Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey).” The tune achieves a No. 3 showing on the Hot 100 – his best yet – and earns an Academy Award nomination for The Weeknd and co-writers Belly, DeHaela and Stephan Moccio.
August 2015
With help from pop titan Max Martin, among others, The Weeknd nabs his first Hot 100 No. 1 hit with “Can’t Feel My Face.” The pop-R&B hybrid earns favorable comparisons to Michael Jackson’s work and debuted with a big platform, with its official reveal at Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in June.
September 2015
The Weeknd’s 2015 emergence as a major player in pop music solidifies with Beauty Behind The Madness, which debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 this month. The album contains proven hits “Earned It,” “Can’t Feel My Face” and “The Hills.”
October 2015
Weeknd season continues as the Canadian singer-songwriter becomes the 11th artist to replace himself at No. 1 on the Hot 100 as “The Hills” overthrows “Can’t Feel My Face.” The new chart champ goes on to lead for six weeks.
November 2016
The hitmaker returns with Starboy and continues his winning streak. The album debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, while the set’s title track, which features Daft Punk, tops the Hot 100 for one week the next January. Follow-up single “I Feel It Coming,” also with a guest spot by the French electronic duo, reaches the top five.
March 2018
The Weeknd surprises everyone with an unannounced six-song EP that returns him to his moody, alt-R&B roots after time in the pop world. The project secures his third No. 1 on the Billboard 200 while its best-performing track, “Call Out My Name,” makes it to No. 4 on the Hot 100.
November 2019
One day before Thanksgiving, Abel introduces his next era with the single “Heartless,” which shoots to No. 1 on the Hot 100 to mark his fourth leader.
April 2020
After more than a year out of the spotlight, The Weeknd releases his After Hours album, which contains multiple productions from frequent collaborators Metro Boomin and Max Martin, among others. The LP achieves his fourth No. 1 Billboard 200 album in a row and a career-best starting week, while single “Blinding Lights” becomes his fifth Hot 100 champ the same week.